2 Chronicles 14:1-15
14:1 Abijah passed away and his son Asa came into power; under Asa's faithful leadership, there was peace for ten years.
14:2 Asa lived to please God. He did not live to please himself or fans or cohorts or anyone else. Such a lifestyle created serenity for the kingdom. Similarly will a lifestyle of faith create serenity in your own life. God, the calmer or storms, defender of the innocent, light of life, will calm, defend and light your life.
14:3 Asa removed all of the structures built for idol worship. They did not belong. It seems simple, but many people had began to worship there. Asa's actions were bold and contradicted the lifestyle of the people he reigned over. It was not easy, but he did what was right anyway.
From Asa we learn that when we remove the idols from our lives, an arduous but worthy effort, we please God. We please God but we also restore ourselves and our lives. When we remove greed and desire from our lives and replace those things with the humility and servitude of faith, our lives become beautiful. Happy.
When we adopt a life of servitude to God, we are treated by Him as royalty, Luke 9:48. Do not serve an idol. Do not serve your desire or your anger. Do not serve your greed or desperation for popularity. All of those things will only corrupt you, distract you from your goal of happiness and achievement.
14:4-5 Asa called the people of Judah to return back to their Father, our Father, God. Their future as individuals and as a kingdom depended on it. The quality of our future depends on the quality of our faith. God is our provider; it is by Him that we are nourished in body, mind, heart, character and soul.
14:6-8 With the time of peace that his faith created, Asa rebuilt and fortified the city. It is symbolic; our service to God strengthens and fortifies our life. "So they built and prospered"; their relationship with God constructed not just a strong city but a body of strong individuals. God's leadership and discipline builds us in character and allows us to prosper, exceed our potential and fulfill more than we hoped.
Rather than taking their relationship with Him for granted, they took advantage of all the benefits of a relationship with God. They listened to His counsel, followed His instructions, learned from His wisdom, stood by His strength and thus abounded in blessing.
14:9 Eventually, someone tried to break through the defenses of Judah. It happens. But because of their steadfast and obedient faith and trust in God, their defense was impenetrable.
14:10-11 Asa proved his faith in God in time of peace and in a time of uncertainty. The army against him was fierce (it often is) and had the power to conquer Judah if not for God. If - not - for - God. So much of faith is remembering and accepting that we are imperfect and under-qualified... but God's strength and reinforcement renders our ability and inability irrelevant. His strength becomes our strength, 2 Corinthians 12:9-11,
“My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Pray as Asa prayed when you need reinforcement from God:
“Lord, it is nothing for You to help, whether with many or with those who have no power; help us, O Lord our God, for we rest on You, and in Your name we go against this multitude. O Lord, You are our God; do not let man prevail against You!”
Asa's prayer was made up of complete trust and obedience to God. Asa relied on God. Asa knew that though the situation seemed impossible for him, it was easy for God. Asa did not lose hope because his hope was God eternal. One of the most important victories we ever have in life is the victory of hope over hopelessness. God will always provide hope, moreover, He will provide the blessing on the other side of it.
14:12-15 Asa asked, so God placed the burden on His own shoulders. He took the problem into His own hands. He defeated Judah's enemy. He sent them fleeing and unable to recover. We can rely on God to provide us a thorough defeat over our enemies: internal and external. Though their enemy had expected to defeat and plunder them, Judah walked away from the battle the victor and with plenty.
As a conscientious student of His word and faithful child of His heart, God ensures that you walk away from every lesson and battle with more than you had before you entered it. More wisdom. More strength. More opportunity. More purpose. More faith.
