A Closer Walk

"Then Asa called to the Lord his God, and said, 'Lord, there is no one besides Thee to help in the battle between the powerful and those who have no strength; so help us, O Lord our God, for we trust in Thee, and in Thy name have come against this multitude. O LORD, Thou art our God; let not man prevail against Thee,'" 2 Chronicles 14:11 NASB. These words were spoken by Asa, King of Judah and Benjamin, as he and his army faced an army of Ethiopians who had invaded Judah. His army consisted of 300,000 men from Judah who carried large shields and spears. Plus, he had 280,000 men from Benjamin who carried shields and wielded bows. And all were valiant men. The Ethiopians? Well, they had 1,000,000 men plus 300 chariots. So Asa's army was just a little more than half the size of the Ethiopian army. No wonder Asa sought the Lord on this matter.
Sometimes it may seem like the whole world is arrayed against us. The task before us might seem overwhelming. But, who has a God like our God? What God is there besides our God? 1,000,000 Ethiopians against 580,000 Judeans and Benjamites? What happened? "So the Lord routed the Ethiopians before Asa and before Judah, and the Ethiopians fled. And Asa and the people who were him pursued them as far as Gerar; and so many Ethiopians fell that they could not recover, for they were shattered before the Lord, and His army. And they carried away very much plunder. And they destroyed all the cities around Gerar, for the dread of the Lord had fallen on them; and they despoiled all the cities, for there was much plunder in them. They also struck down those who owned livestock, and they carried away large numbers of sheep and camels. Then they returned to Jerusalem," 2 Chronicles 14:12-15 NASB. Impossible odds? Overwhelming task? Maybe the Ethiopians should have brought a bigger army? Notice please, “So the Lord routed the Ethiopians before Asa and before Judah ...” Routed. Soundly and overwhelmingly defeated. And when the Ethiopians fled, the Judeans and Benjamites chased after them, and returned with much plunder.
When it seems to us as though it is raining calamity, we might remind ourselves that nothing happens to us or around us that our Sovereign God did not will, cause, allow, or condone. No matter how dark the cloud seems, the sun is still shining beyond it. We may not be able to see the sun because it is obscured by the cloud. But it is always there. Ready to spill its light over the earth below anytime the cloud moves out of the way. Our God is the same way. No matter what we put between us and our Lord that hides Him from us, He is still there. And He is waiting to spill His blessings upon us. If we will allow Him to do that.
Consider the parable of the soils in Matthew 13:3-9. A Pastor once explained about this parable that the only thing that changes in each example is the soil. The sower is the same, and the seed is the same. The only thing that changes is the soil. The sower is able to work the soil and try to make it ready to receive the seed. But the sower cannot change the make-up of the soil. Only God can do that. Notice also that only the seed which fell in the good soil was able to produce a crop, and that bountifully. But the seeds that fell by the roadside were eaten by the birds. The seeds that fell in the rocky soil had no roots and withered under the hot sun. The seeds that fell in the soil with the thorns were choked out by those thorns. Again, only the seeds which fell in the good soil were able to produce a crop.
In His explanation of the parable of the soils Jesus Himself explains what each of the different examples mean. The seed is the Word of God. The rocky soil represents a person having no roots in God's Kingdom so the seeds are eaten by birds. And the thorns represent the cares of the world which chokes out the Word. As children of God we must ensure that we have put down deep roots through Bible reading and study. Through enjoying fellowship with other believers by attending church. And through time spent in our prayer closets enjoying fellowship with our Savior and Lord. We should not allow the cares of this world to choke out the seeds planted in us. We are required to be good stewards of what our Heavenly Father has entrusted to us in our little corner of His Kingdom. But being a good steward is not the same as letting the cares of the world choke out the sprouts which are trying to spring up out of our soil. Yes, we should be good managers of our little corner. But we should also be able, as God directs, to have a ministry that flourishes and is pleasing to our Master in Heaven.
Asa, King of Judah, likely felt overwhelmed by the 1,000,000 man army he was facing.
And we may feel overwhelmed when it seems as though it is raining calamity. But. Who has a God like our God?
“I waited patiently for the Lord; And He inclined to me, and heard my cry. He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay; And He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm...Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders which thou hast done, And Thy thoughts toward us; There is none to compare with Thee; If I would declare and speak of them, They would be too numerous to count,” Psalm 40:1-2 and 5 NASB.