Anyone trying to stand strong on truth can sometimes feel all alone, outnumbered, hopeless, “losing.” Or at least ill-equipped to keep battling what’s false, evil, dark.
Perhaps some of that is reflected in good King Asa’s prayer when his people (God’s people) were up against an evil army: “Lord, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, Lord our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this vast army” (2 Chronicles 14:11).
There’s added impact by reading more and seeing how hard King Asa worked to keep his people on the Lord’s path.
- He tore down pagan places and removed pagan objects. (14:3, 5; 15:8, 16)
- He was strong in getting the people to serve God (14:4). They took an oath to this effect, and the penalty for failure was death. (15:12-15)
- He deposed the queen mother, his own grandma, because she was promoting pagan practice. (15:16)
It also seems significant that 14:11 adds to the above prayer, “Do not let man prevail against you.” Not “don’t let those guys beat US” but “don’t let them defeat the LORD’S plan,” his desires. And the Lord intervened to win the battle (14:8-15).
Though this was a physical battle, it does illustrate—have application to—our spiritual battles. We can stand on truth and share truth with people, but we have to remember our limitations. King Asa’s prayer is a good model:
- Acknowledge our own lack of power. State a reliance on the Lord—on his power.
- Remember that we’re acting “in his name”; that is, trying to represent him well and for his purposes—not selfish ones.
- The dark side IS “a vast army,” yes. But that fact shouldn’t be viewed as intimidating or as the main thing.
Despite King Asa’s wonderful example, it’s sad to note that he slipped up after victory. Right after the battle, he was strongly reminded to keep leaning on the Lord (15:1-2), and he did for a time (15:8-18). But how easily we can drift! Twenty years later, King Asa tried to make an alliance with a pagan nation (chapter 16). Again, this was physical/military/political. But the image here is that God’s side (the light) foolishly thought the dark side would be a good (necessary?) source for help, partnership, safety, security. And this came after King Asa had personally seen the Lord’s hand so powerfully! The very old (early 1700s!) Matthew Henry commentary emphasizes the error: “It is a foolish thing to lean on a broken reed, when we have the rock of ages to rely upon.”
Surely that caution is good for today’s Christians (God’s people). We must always step back and consider why we’re doing certain things, making certain decisions. Are we aligned with the Lord’s way, his commands? Are we looking back at what he has done in the past (in the Bible and in our own lives), and looking to him for our next steps? Are we putting our faith in his power, his purposes, and his strength; or are we substituting something weaker, even something false? Some believers today turn to occult/Eastern practice and secular self-help, adding those to (or substituting those for) God’s Word.
Maybe if we prayed King Asa’s prayer first…
