ASA AS A PRAY-ER

In our previous reflection on Asa, we looked at how he knew when it was time to build, and how we too are in a time to build.

This time, as we follow the story, we will see how the moment came for the builder to become a fighter, and for the fighter – before he even started fighting – to be a pray-er.

BUILDERS AND FIGHTERS MUST BE PRAY-ERS

Unless the Lord builds the house,

the builders labour in vain.

Unless the Lord watches over the city,

the guards stand watch in vain.

Psalm 127:1

In 2 Chronicles 14:10 Asa marched out to meet Zerah, and then (v. 11) Asa called out “to the LORD his God and said, ‘LORD, there is no-one like you to help the powerlessness against the mighty. Help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this vast army. O LORD, you are our God; do not let man prevail against you.’”

What follows is an outstanding victory, but we will do well to note Asa’s perspective and attitude in prayer before we look at the “results”.

MY GOD

First, notice the relationship: he called out to his God.

Clearly Asa loved the Lord. He loved what God loved and hated what God hated – you see that in his deeds in verses 2-5. He spoke of seeking the Lord and the Lord being responsive to that in verse 7. And here in verse 11, we see him addressing God personally.

Here is a man who knew God, who walked with God, who loved God: his God.

How we see and address God in prayer is one of the most important things about us.

Not insignificantly did the Lord Jesus begin, when asked “teach us to pray”, with this very thing.

Our Father.

How much do we grasp that he is, our Father?

It is deeply personal and it is predicated on undeserved, merciful, covenant love: he first loved us. We are his and he is ours. We are his children. What a privileged relationship and how wonderful it is that we can draw near to and address the Lord – our God – on this grace-paved footing.

Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence,

so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Hebrews 4:16

GOD IS GREAT

Second, notice how he confessed God’s great power: “there is no-one like you to help…”

How important it is for us to remember, when we pray, that we pray to an omnipotent God. Nothing is too difficult for him. He is infinitely superior to everything else in all of creation.

“Don’t pray to God,” says a friend of mine, “as if he isn’t God.”

And he is, of course, not only able but also mercifully willing to help.

WE ARE SMALL

Third, Asa confessed his own powerlessness.

We ought not to flatter ourselves that we bring any real strength to the equation as we pray.

Every breath we have is from God. We are utterly dependent on him for everything, the “physical” as well as the “spiritual”.

THIS IS BAD

Fourth, he admitted the (humanly speaking) terrible odds of his situation.

The enemy was “mighty…vast”. Presumably, much greater than his own army.

Though Asa could not have been accused of negligence – he had built up, he had fortified, he had maintained a standing army of three hundred thousand – when it came to the crisis, it simply was not enough. It seems that there are questions of translation but it is possible that the text reads that Zerah’s army numbered “a thousand thousands” (v. 9). If so, he outnumbered Asa almost two to one. That would seem to fit the tone of Asa’s prayer.

HELP!

Fifth, he simply and humbly asked for help. “Help us!”

He made his request, his petition, made known to God.

NO PLAN B

Sixth, he expressly placed all his eggs in this one basket.

Asa went out on a limb. He said to God, “we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this vast army…you are our God.” He had no back-up, he did not hedge his bets. He placed himself wholly in the care of his God; he emphasised – not presumptuously but humbly and obediently – that they were God’s and God was theirs.

Thus he sought to pin their fate to God’s glory, thus he abandoned himself and his people to the sovereign will of God. They were at his mercy, they were his responsibility, and God’s own name was at stake.

And that leads us onto:

HALLOWED BE THY NAME

Seventh, Asa’s deepest heart cry is for God’s name to be hallowed: “do not let man prevail against you.”

It is not so much his own life as God’s glory that Asa wants to see preserved.

And so it should be with our praying.

“Lord, be glorified. Hallowed be thy name. Increase your renown. Show yourself to be God. Let the nations know they are but men. Don’t let proud mortals get away with defying you. God be God, and let everyone see it!”

We will, in our next reflection, go on to consider the “results” of Asa’s prayer, but perhaps we would do well to pause here, and consider:

What can you and I learn from this short simple prayer, of a good and wise king, at time of critical need?

As we seek to build and prepare to fight for babies’ lives in a new way (watch this space for the launch of an exciting new venture), we are also making plans to massively expand our prayer efforts. Partnering with a couple of other pro-life organisations who are precious to us, we are calling for and facilitating monthly prayer across the nation for and until the end of abortion.

It begins in various locations across GB on the evening of November 2nd, a month from now.

Details to follow very soon...

This is the second of three reflections on 2 Chronicles 14 and 15.

Click here for the first.

Click here for the third.