Zerah
The Ethiopian Came Out Against Them
With
An Army
Of
A Million Men And 300 Chariots
Scripture
2
Chronicles 14
9 Once
an Ethiopian named Zerah attacked Judah with an army of 1,000,000
men and 300 chariots. They advanced to the town of Mareshah,
10 so Asa
deployed his armies for battle in the valley north of Mareshah.
11 Then
Asa cried out to the Lord his God, “O Lord, no one
but you can help the powerless against the mighty! Help us,
O Lord our God, for we trust in you alone. It is in your
name that we have come against this vast horde. O Lord, you are
our God; do not let mere men prevail against you!”
12 So
the Lord defeated the Ethiopians in the presence of Asa and
the army of Judah, and the enemy fled.
Observation
King
Asa was totally and completely outnumbered. He faced an enemy army
of a million men who were just on the other side of the valley. So
what did this King of Judah do?
You
and I are not facing a million-man army today, but we are facing
struggles and challenges.
The
odds were very much against King Asa that day. I am sure to the army
of Judah that the situation seemed pretty hopeless. The odds of
winning this battle were definitely against them.
Maybe
you are in a situation today where the odds are stacked against you.
Maybe things look bleak, maybe there doesn't seem to be any light at
the end of the tunnel.
If
that is the situation you find yourself in today then you can
identify with King Asa and the situation that he found himself in.
The
key for both of us, when we find ourselves in a desperate situation,
is to do exactly what King Asa did. He turned to his Heavenly Father
and cried out to Him for help!
On
our big mirror in our bedroom written in huge letters, my wife Kathy
has written these words, “Pray First!”
God
took care of that million-man army. He defeated them! He will take
care of us too! We just need to pray and trust Him!
Philippians
4:6-7
6 Don’t
worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what
you need, and thank him for all he has done.
7 Then
you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can
understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in
Christ Jesus.
1
Peter 5:7
Give
all your worries to him, because he cares about you.
Psalm
46:1-3
1 God is our
refuge and strength,
always ready to help
in times of trouble.
2 So we will not fear when earthquakes
come
and the mountains crumble into the
sea.
3 Let the oceans roar and foam.
Let
the mountains tremble as the waters
Romans
12:11-12
Never be
lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Rejoice in
our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.
Application
I
will try to always remember to pray first when I find myself in a
desperate situation.
How
about you?
Jeremiah
33:3
Call
to Me, and I will answer you. And I will show you great and wonderful
things which you do not know.
Prayer
Heavenly Father,
I know as I write this that there is someone who will read this who
is in a desperate situation. Help them, Lord. Help them to trust You
today with whatever they are facing. Give them a supernatural peace
that comes from talking to You and trusting You to handle their
problems. Bring people into their life today to encourage them.
I pray for
healing for the sick. I pray for healing for those who have broken
relationships. I pray for those who are crushed by the pressures of
life. Help them to depend on You.
Daily Bible
Reading: Isaiah 43,44,45; 1 Peter 4; I added: 2 Chronicles 14