Trusting God in Overwhelming Circumstances

“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.” 2 Chronicles 14:11 NASB 95

When confronted with overwhelming circumstances, it's natural to feel powerless. Familiar stories of David vs. Goliath, Gideon vs. the Midianites, and many others depict this. From a human perspective, these situations were hopeless. But they also serve to remind God’s people of any age not to rely on their abilities but on their dependence on God. Rather than being overcome by our circumstances, we trust in the Lord.

King Asa is often referred to as a reformer. After succeeding his father, Abijah, Asa began making many reforms throughout Judah. These ranged from removing foreign altars and high places to destroying the Asherim.[1] In addition, King Asa built fortified cities and amassed an army of 580,000 soldiers. Despite all of this, Asa will soon encounter an overwhelming circumstance that will test his faith in the Lord.

“The invasion of Zerah the Cushite evidently was included by the Chronicler to illustrate a further aspect of Asa’s faithfulness, namely, his complete reliance upon God.”[2]

As large as Asa’s army was, it paled in comparison to Zerah the Ethiopian’s army of one million men. As the two armies assembled in their battle formations, where will Asa turn to? What you discover is that Asa takes the advice of Solomon in 2 Chronicles 6:34-35. When God’s people encounter enemies, they are told to always seek the LORD. In 2 Chronicles 14:11, we find that Asa turned to the one he fully relied on, the Lord of Israel. He states the following:

He was weak and overwhelmed by the strength of the Ethiopian army
There is no one else to turn to for help
He expressed complete trust in the Lord
Defeat of Judah was a defeat of the Lord

“The war was a holy war, and the victory must have been assured when the Lord’s people relied on him however small Israel’s forces may have been.”[3]

When we face overwhelming circumstances, we need to have complete trust in the Lord. King Asa's example teaches us that our strength lies not in our abilities but in our dependence on God. With the Lord on our side, we need not fear the circumstance no matter how great it is.

“Be still, my soul! the Lord is on your side;

Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain;

Leave to your God to order and provide;

In ev'ry change he faithful will remain.

Be still, my soul! your best, your heav’nly friend

Thru' thorny ways leads to a joyful end.”[4]

Blessings,

Pastor Steven

[1] Asherim were wooden symbols of a female deity.

[2] J.A. Thompson. 1, 2 Chronicles, pg. 267.

[3] Ibid., pg. 268.

[4] Kathrina von Schlegel – Be Still My Soul.