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Daily Devotion: 2 Chronicles 14:11-12

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2 Chronicles 14:11-12    "And Asa cried unto the LORD his God, and said, LORD, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power: help us, O LORD our God; for we rest on thee, and in thy name we go against this multitude. O LORD, thou art our God; let not man prevail against thee.  (12)  So the LORD smote the Ethiopians before Asa, and before Judah; and the Ethiopians fled."

With foresight, King Asa had established fenced cities around Judah. He armed the men with the latest weaponry, but more importantly he covered them with prayer and the defense of the Lord.  He fortified his army with over half a million men. 300,000 carried shields and spears. 280,000 were efficient with bows. They were all men of strength and valour. But then the king of Ethiopia came against Judah with a million men in his army. King Asa's army was outnumbered two to one.

Hence we come to our text today. Though the numbers were against Asa as far as the natural sense, Asa realized a very important fact: With the Lord, "it is nothing to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power."  Asa had perfect peace at a time when the natural order of things called for him to panic. How could he maintain this peace when his army was vastly outnumbered?  The Lord had blessed Asa to walk by faith instead of sight. He was held together by this fact: "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.  (4)  Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength." (Isaiah 26:3-4)

Panic is the order of the day when our focus is on the storm in front of us. Panic manifests itself in many ways. It can be seen when people lash out without stopping to think about the consequences. It can be seen when people start talking tough but really do not have the means to back up what they are saying. It can manifest itself in people hiding from the enemy and even denying the enemy exists.

King Asa confronted the situation armed with the spiritual warfare that God had provided him. You and I also have that same weaponry in our arsenal. That which is made by man is prone to failure; but our God is efficient and sufficient for every need. Let us hold to and walk by the same words that Asa expressed. "LORD, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power: help us, O LORD our God; for we rest on thee, and in thy name we go against this multitude." We must keep our focus in the proper position. Let us keep our eyes upon the Lord.

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