The  fourteenth chapter of Second Chronicles in the Old Testament tells us when Asa became the new king of Judah after his father died, there was peace in the land for the first ten years of his reign. The reason for this peace? Asa was careful to obey the Lord his God. He demolished the heathen altars and broke down the idols. Asa demanded that the entire nation obey God’s commandments.

This period of peace made it possible for Asa to build walled cities throughout the land of Judah. For Asa said, “Now is the time to build while the Lord is blessing us with peace because of our obedience to him.”

During this time, Judah’s army was around 528,000. A large number, indeed, but then an army of over 1,000,000 advanced against Judah. Enormous odds, wouldn’t you say?

As King Asa sent his troops to meet them, he prayed. “O, Lord, no one else can help us! We are powerless against this mighty army. Help us, Lord! For we trust in you alone to rescue us, and in your name we attack this vast horde. Don’t let mere men defeat you!”

In answer to Asa’s prayer and trust, God defeated the opposing army.

I wish every time we face the vast hordes of problems that rise against us by the thousands, our victories would be as swift and complete. Sadly. They are not. At least they aren’t in my life. Maybe they are in yours.

But then I focus on the word peace in Asa’s story. That elusive word we sometimes feel without a doubt, and like Asa, we go about building our cities.

However, I also know there is the peace we feel when faced with life in this fallen broken world. A world where there is no one but God to help us. It is a peace we experience when there is no one but our Jehovah God, the All-Powerful One, to stand between us and the army of problems that march our way. It is a peace we can’t always explain, nor truly understand.

This peace found in God reminds us he walks with us through our adversities. Although the outcomes may not always be as we wish, we can be assured God is for us, and nothing can separate us from his love.

Looking back at Asa, we see he was careful to obey the Lord his God. He demolished the heathen altars and broke down the idols. Asa demanded that the entire nation obey God’s commandments.

We too, can carefully obey the Lord our God by following his word preserved for us in Scripture. We can tear down all the idols in our lives we place before God.

Possibly, when it comes right down to it, that’s where we find the peace to keep on keeping on when we face those armies of life determined to undo us.

It is a peace found in God alone.

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Then Asa cried out to the Lord his God, “O Lord, no one but you can help the powerless against the mighty! Help us, O Lord our God, for we trust in you alone. It is in your name that we have come against this vast horde. O Lord, you are our God; do not let mere men prevail against you!” 2 Chronicles 14:11

I wish you well.

Sandy

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