Originally posted: 5/19/2020

Then Asa called to the LORD his God and said, “LORD, there is no one besides You 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 You, and in Your name have come against this multitude. O LORD, You are our God; let not man prevail against You,” (14:11).

Under the leadership of King Asa, leading his people to forsake pagan worship and to seek the Lord in faith and obedience, the nation is enjoying His Rest and Prosperity.

Asa did good and right in the sight of the Lord his God, ³ for he removed the foreign altars and high places, tore down the sacred pillars, cut down the Asherim, ⁴ and commanded Judah to seek the Lord God of their fathers and to observe the law and the commandment. ⁵ He also removed the high places and the incense altars from all the cities of Judah. And the kingdom was undisturbed under him. ⁶ He built fortified cities in Judah, since the land was undisturbed, and there was no one at war with him during those years, because the Lord had given him rest.⁷ For he said to Judah, “Let us build these cities and surround them with walls and towers, gates and bars. The land is still ours because we have sought the Lord our God; we have sought Him, and He has given us rest on every side.” So they built and prospered, (14:2-7).

Asa’s godly leadership was concentrated on returning the people to worship the Lord God of their fathers. Asa’s command was a call to once again align themselves with Him, the Covenant God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

It was an industrious endeavor, as the people had become steeped and accustomed to the foreign altars and high places. But at Asa’s command, idolatry was to be removed from their midst, fortifying both the walls and the people to make room for only One; the One, True, Living God Who had always shown Himself faithful to His Covenant.

And for ten years they enjoyed His Rest, His Peace and His Prosperity.

…The land was undisturbed for ten years during his days… ⁷ For he said to Judah, “Let us build these cities and surround them with walls and towers, gates and bars. The land is still ours because we have sought the Lord our God; we have sought Him, and He has given us rest on every side.” So they built and prospered, (14:1, 7).

But the enemies of God, and of His people, are relentless. And after ten years of the good life, God’s children find themselves once again, outnumbered.

Now Asa had an army of 300,000 from Judah, bearing large shields and spears, and 280,000 from Benjamin, bearing shields and wielding bows; all of them were valiant warriors. ⁹ Now Zerah the Ethiopian came out against them with an army of a million men and 300 chariots, (14:8-9).

And though Asa had not neglected his armed forces, he saw the odds. But rather than fixating on the potential and possibly disastrous “what ifs,” he immediately turned his eyes to see the Almighty God he served; and placing no hope in any strength of any army, he called on the Only One Who could save, and wholeheartedly placed his faith in His Prevailing Power.

Consider His Prevailing Power

Then Asa called to the Lord his God and said, “Lord, there is no one besides You 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 You, and in Your name have come against this multitude. O Lord, You are our God; let not man prevail against You,” (14:11).

It’s laughable, to even dare to imagine that mere man could possibly ever prevail against Almighty God. But Asa knew that’s exactly what the enemy would conclude, if they overpowered the army of Judah.

And Asa was convinced; there was absolutely no one except his God, Who was Powerful enough to Prevail against this enemy.

Prevail: 6113. עָצַר ʿāṣar:
* “a verb meaning to restrain, to shut in, to keep in slavery…”
* “to keep from, prevent… stopping something, stopping a plague…”
* “retaining strength, being strong…”
From Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance

• His Prevailing Power can never be shut in, restrained or suppressed.
  • “For His dominion is an everlasting dominion,
    And His kingdom endures from generation to generation.
    ³⁵ “All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing,
    But He does according to His will in the host of heaven
    And among the inhabitants of earth;
    And no one can ward off His hand
    Or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’” (Daniel 14:34-35).

• His Prevailing Power can never be prevented or stopped.
  • The Lord of hosts has sworn saying, “Surely, just as I have intended so it has happened, and just as I have planned so it will stand…²⁷ For the Lord of hosts has planned, and who can frustrate it? And as for His stretched-out hand, who can turn it back?” (Isaiah 14:24, 27).

• His Prevailing Power can never be overpowered or overthrown.
  • Your right hand, O Lord, shatters the enemy. ⁷ “And in the greatness of Your excellence You overthrow those who rise up against You; (Exodus 15:6-7).

How do we respond to His Prevailing Power?

There are days when the odds seem against us and the enemy seems so huge; when our doubts and fears so grow in size that they threaten to overpower our faith and hope. Perhaps today is one of those days.

It can certainly feel like our good life has been disrupted. The uncertainty about our future amidst a deadly plague coupled with misgivings regarding the truth of what is conveyed, can feed anxiety like nothing else. But when it seems as though all we can see are those insurmountable odds, it is then we must look up!

The Lord is my light and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the defense of my life;
Whom shall I dread?
² When evildoers came upon me to devour my flesh,
My adversaries and my enemies, they stumbled and fell.
³ Though a host encamp against me,
My heart will not fear;
Though war arise against me,
In spite of this I shall be confident, (Psalm 27:1-3).

When we find ourselves in those battles weighing heavy on our hearts and diverting our attention towards the “what ifs,” it is then that we too must call ourselves back to the worship of our Covenant God Who is faithful.

Today, may we be built up by His Prevailing Power in Jesus Christ our Savior, convinced that there is no one except Him Who is both able and faithful to save.

When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, ¹⁴ having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. ¹⁵ When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him, (Colossians 2:13-15).

As we live in the unknowns of today, we must intentionally remind ourselves that The Day is coming…

• …The Day when His Prevailing Power will expose the feckless strength of the enemy.
  • Arise, O Lord, do not let man prevail;
    Let the nations be judged before You.
    ²⁰ Put them in fear, O Lord;
    Let the nations know that they are but men, (Psalm 9:19-20).

• …The Day when His Prevailing Power is unleashed and unrestrained.
  • “The Lord shall cause your enemies who rise up against you to be defeated before you; they will come out against you one way and will flee before you seven ways,” (Deuteronomy 28: 7).

• …The Day when  His Prevailing Power prevents and stops every enemy.
  • “How the oppressor has ceased,
    And how fury has ceased!
    ⁵ “The Lord has broken the staff of the wicked,
    The scepter of rulers
    ⁶ Which used to strike the peoples in fury with unceasing strokes,” (Isaiah 14:4-6).

• …The Day when His Prevailing Power reveals His unmatched and unrivaled strength to overthrow every foe.
  • Then the word of the Lord came a second time to Haggai on the twenty-fourth day of the month, saying, ²¹ “Speak to Zerubbabel governor of Judah, saying, ‘I am going to shake the heavens and the earth. ²² I will overthrow the thrones of kingdoms and destroy the power of the kingdoms of the nations; and I will overthrow the chariots and their riders, and the horses and their riders will go down, everyone by the sword of another,’” (Haggai 2:20-22).

The Day is coming, when He will make all things new. And by His Power He will Prevail over every plague, sorrow, and death.

And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, ““Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, ⁴ and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” ⁵ And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new,” (Revelation 21:3-5).

Until That Day, the truth is, we live in a world wrought with battles. Let us learn well from King Asa. May his prayer become ours, that it would take root in our hearts so as to move us to always look up, in faith and dependence, to His Prevailing Power.

“LORD, there is no one besides You 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 You, and in Your name have come against this multitude. O LORD, You are our God; let not man prevail against You,” (14:11).

Let’s Grow Together!