The Chronicler recounts the story of Asa who, like his father before him, had faith in God and served Him. He too faced overwhelming odds from an enemy but the Lord honored him because he had honored the Lord. He prayed to ask the Lord for help showing great faith and trust in God who will fight the battle for those who are called by His Name. In addition he has applied the Lord’s wisdom and had built up the armies and defenses of Judah so that when the Cushites invaded, he was prepared to meet and defeat them.
Those who walk in obedience to the Lord’s commands, who rid themselves of all idols, will find that the Lord will bless them by making them prosper and, when they go through difficult times, He will not desert them but will be with them every step of the way. In the midst of life we encounter many obstacles. These often tend to make us depressed and, if they continue long enough, to succumb to despair. At such times we may wonder where God is and why He does not answer our prayers. This is especially true if we or a loved one happen to be in the midst of a long, painful and excruciating illness that defies the best relief efforts of the medical profession whose last resort in dealing with pain is to numb it with drugs so that though the patient continues to live, he or she merely exists in a drug induced stupor. At such times we indeed think God has forgotten us. Yet the message of Scripture that we must cling to is that if we have lived a life in which we sought to honor God by obedience to His commands, we will find that no matter what the doctors may say, no matter how much the world may scoff, the Lord is with us to carry us through.
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