The Prayer of King Asa
2 Chronicles 14:1-12,
Before we look at King Asa's prayer, the prayer that is found in verse 11, there is some background I wanted to note in the text that we read here. I'd like us to first note in verse 2, that we see King Asa. He's a man, he's a king who is described as a king that did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord. He commanded Judah, the nation of Judah, to seek the Lord, to keep the law and the commandment. He removed foreign idols. Then in verse 1, and again in verses 5-7 notice that the Lord is blessing King Asa. We read that the kingdom had rest under King Asa. There were no wars. The Lord gave peace, and it was for an extended period of time. The land had rest for a period of 10 years. Then I also wanted us to note in verses 6-8, we see that King Asa was still active during this time of rest. He did not ignore his duty as a king to seek to protect his nation. And as he sought the Lord, he took what I would describe as reasonable actions to protect his kingdom. We read that he built fortified cities. Asa surrounded cities with walls and towers, gates and bars; actions that God prospered. King Asa also established an army: 300,000 from Judah equipped with large shields and spears; 280,000 from Benjamin equipped with shields and who drew bows; an army comprised of mighty men of valor. So this is the time period that Asa is ruling, a time period in which he is seeking to do that which is good and right in the eyes of God and God is blessing the land with peace, with rest. And he is still, though, preparing to defend the nation, for no one knows what a day may bring.
And so we find then in verse 9, even though King Asa was doing what was right in the eyes of God, seeking the Lord, keeping the law and the commandment, even though there's no indication of any scandalous sin on his behalf, yet the Lord allowed a severe trial to come into King Asa's life. And it came at the end of this 10-year period of rest and peace. In verse 9, we read of Zerah, the Ethiopian who came out against King Asa. And we read he comes out against King Asa with an army of a million men as well as 300 chariots. An army that's significantly greater than that of King Asa, almost twice the size of the army of King Asa. And it's also an army that is equipped with powerful weapons of war, 300 chariots. So King Asa finds himself outnumbered against a powerful army that is coming to conquer the kingdom of Judah and seeking to destroy King Asa.
Well, how does King Asa respond to this trial? We read in verse 11, King Asa prays. And I wanted to note a few things about King Asa's prayer here. First, we see that it says King Asa cried to the Lord. He cries out, he calls out to the Lord. He's praying to God and it seems as though as he's crying, he's crying out with his entire heart, with all of his heart. He's praying with the urgency and the desperation of a man facing a trial that appears to be a matter of life and death. And in his prayer, we see that it is a prayer that is directed to the Lord. He's not relying on his own strength and power. He's not relying and trusting on the army that he has built up. He is not trusting in the fortified cities that he has established. No, he is looking to the Lord. He's looking to the Lord for his help, for he trusts; his trust is in the Lord. And as he prays, we see in this prayer that he is acknowledging God's great power. He says, “There is none like you.” He knows that God is more powerful, God is greater than any army. And therefore, he prays with the knowledge that God and God alone is the one who can help. And then as he prays, we see he's also acknowledging his reliance upon the Lord. He says in his prayer specifically, “for we rely on you.” It's in humility he confesses his own weakness, his inadequacy, and his need for God's help.
But then one last point to make regarding his prayer. I think it's an important point to note that as he is praying he is praying for God's glory. King Asa throughout this prayer in several places says, “To the Lord our God" and "to the Lord his God" and "O Lord, you are our God.” His personal relationship with God is clear to all. It's clear to the people of Judah, it's clear to all the nations surrounding him. The nations knew that King Asa worshipped and served the Lord. So King Asa prays for God's glory to be upheld. And prays, “Let not man prevail against you.” So this is Asa's prayer. A prayer in which he cries to the Lord his God for help in time of great need. And then in verse 12, we read that God answers King Asa's prayer. We are told, “So the Lord defeated the Ethiopians before Asa and Judah.”
As we read this account of this battle and King Asa's prayer, what can we learn from this battle and the prayer? I think although we do not face an army of one million men and 300 chariots in our life, yet as God's people, we do face battles. Battles for which we need to cry to the Lord for help. One area of battle is we have battles against remaining sin, battles that take place in the battlefield of our heart and our mind. And although we have been saved by grace and it is our great desire to obey God's commandments and his law; and although we desire to do good, to do that which is right. But when we do, we often find that evil lies close at hand. And we can identify with Paul as he confesses in Romans chapter 7:22-23, “For I delight in the law of God in my inner being. But I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.” So we face a battle within on the battlefield of our hearts and our minds as the flesh, our remaining sin wars against the Spirit.
Also, I would suggest that we face battles against the world; battles that take place on the earthly battlefield. We live in a lost and fallen world, a world that hates us. A world that hates our Lord and our Savior. And at times we can feel alone; at times we can feel outnumbered; at times we can feel that we're just surrounded by sin and depravity. We may even face persecution for our faith. But even though we are outnumbered, and frequently under attack by the world, we are called to faithfully bear witness to Christ, to share the gospel with those who are lost, to live as light in this world of darkness despite our own sense of weakness and inadequacy. So we have battles within in our heart, we have battles against the world, but then also our greatest enemy. We have battles against Satan, battles that take place on the spiritual battlefield.
We know that Satan is a destroyer. He is seeking to destroy God's people, he schemes, he devises trials and temptations to cause us to sin. And since this battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places, we know we must take up the whole armor of God so that we might stand firm. And as we do so, we must also pray. We must pray at all times. As we pray, let us learn from King Asa's prayer that when we face battles, when we encounter difficult trials, overwhelming challenges, let us pray. Pray and as we pray to cry out, a cry of urgent need, a cry with all of our heart.
And as we pray, let us remember that we pray to Christ. He is the one, the one who upholds us, the one who sustains us, the one who protects us. We pray to Christ who is the one who is stronger than Satan and any forces of darkness that we may face. And as we pray, we pray with humility; confessing our own weakness, our own inability. Not anything in our own strength and power can overcome these battles that we face and we acknowledge our utter dependence upon Christ. And as we pray, we pray with reliance on the Lord, trusting the Lord to be faithful to his promises, to give strength in time of need. Trusting the Lord for the victory knowing that if God is for us who can be against us? For we are more than conquerors through Christ. And then finally, as we pray, let us pray that in all these things, in all the battles that we face, let our prayer be that God be glorified, that Christ's name would be honored and glorified.
As we remember that we are God's people, we take the name of Christ, we are Christians. So may the Lord give us help that we not fail in the battles we face and bring any dishonor to the name of Christ. May this prayer of King Asa, as he faced an army of one million men and 300 chariots; a prayer to the Lord his God for help in time of need, even help us and encourage us as we come to pray.
Abijah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David. And Asa his son reigned in his place. In his days the land had rest for 10 years. And Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God. He took away the foreign altars and the high places and broke down the pillars and cut down the Asherim and commanded Judah to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, and to keep the law and the commandment. He also took out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the incense alters. And the kingdom had rest under him. He built fortified cities in Judah, for the land had rest. He had no war in those years, for the Lord gave him peace. And he said to Judah, “Let us build these cities and surround them with walls and towers, gates and bars. The land is still ours, because we have sought the Lord our God. We have sought him and he has given us peace on every side.” So they built and prospered. And Asa had an army of 300,000 from Judah, armed with large shields and spears, and 280,000 men from Benjamin that carried shields and drew bows. All these were mighty men of valor. Zerah the Ethiopian came out against them with an army of a million men and 300 chariots, and came as far as Mareshah. And Asa went out to meet him, and they drew up their lines of battle in the valley of Zephathah at Mareshah. And Asa cried to the Lord his God, “O Lord, there is none like you to help, between the mighty and the weak. Help us, O Lord our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this multitude. O Lord, you are our God; let not man prevail against you.” So the Lord defeated the Ethiopians before Asa and before Judah, and the Ethiopians fled.
Before we look at King Asa's prayer, the prayer that is found in verse 11, there is some background I wanted to note in the text that we read here. I'd like us to first note in verse 2, that we see King Asa. He's a man, he's a king who is described as a king that did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord. He commanded Judah, the nation of Judah, to seek the Lord, to keep the law and the commandment. He removed foreign idols. Then in verse 1, and again in verses 5-7 notice that the Lord is blessing King Asa. We read that the kingdom had rest under King Asa. There were no wars. The Lord gave peace, and it was for an extended period of time. The land had rest for a period of 10 years. Then I also wanted us to note in verses 6-8, we see that King Asa was still active during this time of rest. He did not ignore his duty as a king to seek to protect his nation. And as he sought the Lord, he took what I would describe as reasonable actions to protect his kingdom. We read that he built fortified cities. Asa surrounded cities with walls and towers, gates and bars; actions that God prospered. King Asa also established an army: 300,000 from Judah equipped with large shields and spears; 280,000 from Benjamin equipped with shields and who drew bows; an army comprised of mighty men of valor. So this is the time period that Asa is ruling, a time period in which he is seeking to do that which is good and right in the eyes of God and God is blessing the land with peace, with rest. And he is still, though, preparing to defend the nation, for no one knows what a day may bring.
And so we find then in verse 9, even though King Asa was doing what was right in the eyes of God, seeking the Lord, keeping the law and the commandment, even though there's no indication of any scandalous sin on his behalf, yet the Lord allowed a severe trial to come into King Asa's life. And it came at the end of this 10-year period of rest and peace. In verse 9, we read of Zerah, the Ethiopian who came out against King Asa. And we read he comes out against King Asa with an army of a million men as well as 300 chariots. An army that's significantly greater than that of King Asa, almost twice the size of the army of King Asa. And it's also an army that is equipped with powerful weapons of war, 300 chariots. So King Asa finds himself outnumbered against a powerful army that is coming to conquer the kingdom of Judah and seeking to destroy King Asa.
Well, how does King Asa respond to this trial? We read in verse 11, King Asa prays. And I wanted to note a few things about King Asa's prayer here. First, we see that it says King Asa cried to the Lord. He cries out, he calls out to the Lord. He's praying to God and it seems as though as he's crying, he's crying out with his entire heart, with all of his heart. He's praying with the urgency and the desperation of a man facing a trial that appears to be a matter of life and death. And in his prayer, we see that it is a prayer that is directed to the Lord. He's not relying on his own strength and power. He's not relying and trusting on the army that he has built up. He is not trusting in the fortified cities that he has established. No, he is looking to the Lord. He's looking to the Lord for his help, for he trusts; his trust is in the Lord. And as he prays, we see in this prayer that he is acknowledging God's great power. He says, “There is none like you.” He knows that God is more powerful, God is greater than any army. And therefore, he prays with the knowledge that God and God alone is the one who can help. And then as he prays, we see he's also acknowledging his reliance upon the Lord. He says in his prayer specifically, “for we rely on you.” It's in humility he confesses his own weakness, his inadequacy, and his need for God's help.
But then one last point to make regarding his prayer. I think it's an important point to note that as he is praying he is praying for God's glory. King Asa throughout this prayer in several places says, “To the Lord our God" and "to the Lord his God" and "O Lord, you are our God.” His personal relationship with God is clear to all. It's clear to the people of Judah, it's clear to all the nations surrounding him. The nations knew that King Asa worshipped and served the Lord. So King Asa prays for God's glory to be upheld. And prays, “Let not man prevail against you.” So this is Asa's prayer. A prayer in which he cries to the Lord his God for help in time of great need. And then in verse 12, we read that God answers King Asa's prayer. We are told, “So the Lord defeated the Ethiopians before Asa and Judah.”
As we read this account of this battle and King Asa's prayer, what can we learn from this battle and the prayer? I think although we do not face an army of one million men and 300 chariots in our life, yet as God's people, we do face battles. Battles for which we need to cry to the Lord for help. One area of battle is we have battles against remaining sin, battles that take place in the battlefield of our heart and our mind. And although we have been saved by grace and it is our great desire to obey God's commandments and his law; and although we desire to do good, to do that which is right. But when we do, we often find that evil lies close at hand. And we can identify with Paul as he confesses in Romans chapter 7:22-23, “For I delight in the law of God in my inner being. But I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.” So we face a battle within on the battlefield of our hearts and our minds as the flesh, our remaining sin wars against the Spirit.
Also, I would suggest that we face battles against the world; battles that take place on the earthly battlefield. We live in a lost and fallen world, a world that hates us. A world that hates our Lord and our Savior. And at times we can feel alone; at times we can feel outnumbered; at times we can feel that we're just surrounded by sin and depravity. We may even face persecution for our faith. But even though we are outnumbered, and frequently under attack by the world, we are called to faithfully bear witness to Christ, to share the gospel with those who are lost, to live as light in this world of darkness despite our own sense of weakness and inadequacy. So we have battles within in our heart, we have battles against the world, but then also our greatest enemy. We have battles against Satan, battles that take place on the spiritual battlefield.
We know that Satan is a destroyer. He is seeking to destroy God's people, he schemes, he devises trials and temptations to cause us to sin. And since this battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places, we know we must take up the whole armor of God so that we might stand firm. And as we do so, we must also pray. We must pray at all times. As we pray, let us learn from King Asa's prayer that when we face battles, when we encounter difficult trials, overwhelming challenges, let us pray. Pray and as we pray to cry out, a cry of urgent need, a cry with all of our heart.
And as we pray, let us remember that we pray to Christ. He is the one, the one who upholds us, the one who sustains us, the one who protects us. We pray to Christ who is the one who is stronger than Satan and any forces of darkness that we may face. And as we pray, we pray with humility; confessing our own weakness, our own inability. Not anything in our own strength and power can overcome these battles that we face and we acknowledge our utter dependence upon Christ. And as we pray, we pray with reliance on the Lord, trusting the Lord to be faithful to his promises, to give strength in time of need. Trusting the Lord for the victory knowing that if God is for us who can be against us? For we are more than conquerors through Christ. And then finally, as we pray, let us pray that in all these things, in all the battles that we face, let our prayer be that God be glorified, that Christ's name would be honored and glorified.
As we remember that we are God's people, we take the name of Christ, we are Christians. So may the Lord give us help that we not fail in the battles we face and bring any dishonor to the name of Christ. May this prayer of King Asa, as he faced an army of one million men and 300 chariots; a prayer to the Lord his God for help in time of need, even help us and encourage us as we come to pray.
Posted in Pastor Devotional