Asa Series

As a result of seeking the Lord, God gave them rest from all their enemies. For 10 years there was no war. “When we please the Lord,” says Proverb 16, “He makes even our enemies be at peace with us” (v. 20).

So … what do you think? On fire [burning match]? … or fizzled out [burnt match]?

You see, the thing about fire is once you start it you have to tend it, right? You have to do things to keep it going, amen? Rather than kick back and relax, Asa took advantage of this time of peace to improve his kingdom. We see in verse 7 that Asa ordered the people to build up the cities, surround them with walls and towers, gates, and bars.

That’s a good thing for us to do as well. When we experience a time of prosperity, it’s not a time for us to kick back and relax. It is a time for preparation. Good times are not a time to stagnate but a time to get closer to God … the source of our prosperity. Prosperity is not a time for excess but a time for preparation and improvement. A person who is “fired up” [burning match] recognizes their opportunities to gain ground with God.

Besides building up and fortifying the towns, Asa also built up his army. Verse 8 reports that “Asa had an army of 300,000 men from Judah, equipped with large shields and with spears and 280,000 from [the tribe of] Benjamin, armed with small shields and with bows. All these were brave fighting men” who were about to be put to the test.

Zerah, the King of the Cushites, decided to invade Judah. “Cush” was located in Africa in the area we now know as Ethiopia. King Zerah had an army of a million men. Not only did they have large shields, spears, and bows, they also had something that the Judean army didn’t have – chariots. Three hundred of them to be exact. Chariots were the equivalent of armored tanks in those days.

So … faced with a larger and better equipped army with superior technology, what did Asa do? Instead of resorting to military strategy, political alliances, or fleeing from the fight, King Asa turned to the Lord.

Asa clears up one of the most important questions of his life and his reign as king: “Who’s in charge?” And we hear Asa’s answer loud and clear in his prayer in verse 11: O Lord … there is no difference for You between helping 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 no mortal prevail against you.”

What a beautiful prayer … the prayer of a man on fire for God. Asa didn’t mention himself at all in his prayer. He mentioned the people … he mentioned God … he professed his trust in the character of God … and he affirmed that God was in complete and total control. He doesn’t tell God what to do. He leaves that up to God. God answered Asa’s prayer and Asa not only defeated the enemy but drove them all the way back to Africa.

What’d ya say so far? Is Asa still a man on fire for God [burning match]? How about you? Is there anything in your life that seems too big to handle on your own? Something threatening to snuff out your fire? Missionary George Muller once said: “Faith does not operate in the realm of the possible. There is no glory for God in that which is humanly possible. Faith begins where man’s powers end.”