Faith and God's Power

"O LORD, there is none like you to help, between the mighty and the weak. Help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this multitude. O LORD, you are our God; let not man prevail against you." ~2 Chronicles 14:11


Israel has been divided for only a short time. Asa, who uttered this prayer, is the son of Abijah. It was Abijah who fought against Jereboam and the northern 10 tribes of Israel in 2 Chron. 13 and was victorious even though they were outnumbered 2:1. The reason Abijah was victorious in chapter 13 was because of his reliance upon God and his recognition that God can bring about victory in spite of seemingly insurmountable odds. This steadfast faith was passed on to Asa who now demonstrates it here with this prayer as he faces a million man army from Ethiopia.


As you continue to read this passage you will find that not only did the Lord grant victory, but a stunning victory! It wasn't Pyrrhic, at a great loss to Asa's side, but they were unscathed, and the Ethiopians, in turn, were thoroughly defeated. We read that "none remained alive, for they were broken before the LORD and his army" (2 Chron. 14:13).


True is the proverb that was recorded only a few generations prior to this event: "The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the LORD" (Prov. 21:31).


To the Christian reading this who knows that they are not the recipients of the Davidic Covenant, what should we learn from this? The most stunning aspect of this chapter is the full and complete dependence upon and faith in God, as demonstrated by the prayer. Indeed, we might ask, "do your prayers reflect such faith in God and reliance upon him?" And if they do not, why not? Do you believe that there is none like God? That he alone is God almighty, ruler of heaven and earth? That doesn't change from the days of Israel to now (cf. Heb. 13:8). Do you believe that he hears the prayers of the righteous? We are comforted with the fact that he indeed does! (cf. Prov. 15:29).
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O, that our faith might be increased! O, that our prayers might reflect eternal truth and rightly portray the attributes of God. O, that we might not rely upon our own wisdom and strength, but rather acknowledge our weakness and dependence upon God who helps the weak.