Asa Trusted God

The faith of Asa was put to a severe test when “Zerah the Ethiopian with an host of a thousand thousand, and three hundred chariots,” invaded his kingdom. In this crisis Asa did not put his trust in the “fenced cities in Judah” that he had built, with “walls, and towers, gates, and bars,” nor in the “mighty men of valor” in his carefully trained army. The king’s trust was in Jehovah of hosts…. Setting his forces in battle array, he sought the help of God.

The opposing armies now stood face to face. It was a time of test and trial to those who served the Lord. Had every sin been confessed? Had the men of Judah full confidence in God’s power to deliver? Such thoughts as these were in the minds of the leaders. From every human viewpoint the vast host from Egypt would sweep everything before it. But in time of peace Asa had not been giving himself to amusement and pleasure; he had been preparing for any emergency. He had an army trained for conflict; he had endeavored to lead his people to make their peace with God. And now, although his forces were fewer in number than the enemy, his faith in the One whom he had made his trust did not weaken.

Having sought the Lord in the days of prosperity, the king could now rely upon Him in the day of adversity. His petitions showed that he was not a stranger to God’s wonderful power….

The prayer of Asa is one that every Christian believer may fittingly offer…. In life’s conflict we must meet evil agencies that have arrayed themselves against the right. Our hope is not in man, but in the living God. With full assurance of faith we may expect that He will unite His omnipotence with the efforts of human instrumentalities, for the glory of His name. Clad with the armor of His righteousness, we may gain the victory over every foe.
Conflict and Courage p. 203
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Prayer Requests
—–Our pastor had his laptop stolen this last Sabbath. Please pray that God will give the thief no rest until he returns it. Rose
—–I’m in need of wisdom and guidance only God can give. LB
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Dear Friends,

More often than we’d care to, we hear of crimes that are too horrendous to think about. Murders, torture, rape and child abuse are frequent on this sinful, old planet. Man’s inhumanity to man is almost the norm. How cruel is the heart of mankind without the Spirit of God dwelling there.

When Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, how little did they realize the results of that one act of disobedience. Their Loving Creator had given them such a little test, yet they failed. It seemed such a small act of disobedience, that they thought surely it would not matter, but it was a pivotal point in their experience. Indeed, the pivotal point for the whole world and everything in it.

From that small act of disobedience, came great change. Before the fall, Adam and Eve enjoyed open communion with the angels. Moreover, they had face to face fellowship with their Creator. Each evening, He came to this small planet and conversed with them. How they loved to walk and talk with the One Who gave them life. After their disobedience, however, hearing Him walking in the garden brought a new feeling to their heart—a feeling of fear and dread. “And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself. And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?” Gen 3:8-11

The All-knowing One knew what had happened, but He wanted them to acknowledge their transgression. Instead, Adam blamed Eve and Eve blamed the serpent, and in so doing they were really blaming God. “And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field, upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life.” vs 12-14

How good and kind our Loving Father is! Before He told His erring children of the consequences of their sin, He gave them the promise of a Saviour! “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed, it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” vs 3:15 Then “unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception, in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children, and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake, in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life, Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee, and thou shalt eat the herb of the field, In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground, for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. vs 16-19

From that point, everything changed. Death and sorrow, sickness and perplexity entered our world. From that one little sin, the close communion they had had with God became a more distant one. Never again could they openly walk and talk with their Maker. From that moment the world began to deteriorate and mankind became “worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.” 2 Tim 3:13 “Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them. And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever” Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man, and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.” 21-24

Praise God! He did not leave us in such a pitiful state. He has provided “the Way, the Truth, and the Life” whereby all who will enjoy that close fellowship with our Great Creator He so longs for us to have. John 14:6 May we daily thank Him for sacrificing His very own life, so that we may live eternally with Him in a place where all is safety, happiness, and peace. May we continually serve Him from a heart full of gratitude and love is my prayer.

Rose