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By R.A. Mathews

 

Asa. That was his name. Asa.

I think you’ll agree with me that Asa is an unusual name.

Asa was a pastor at my church when I was growing up. He was an old, old man, and that’s why I thought he was named Asa — so old that no one had ever heard of his odd name, one that might have been popular back in the day along with Pearl or Opal or Ernest.

Honestly, I don’t remember ever talking to him. And I think I would remember. But Asa came in handy once I was in seminary. He was dead then.

How was he helpful? Let me show you. In fact, Asa may prove useful to you, as well.

Israel was first led by Moses, then Joshua, then the Judges, and then the kings. The latter began in roughly 1,000 B.C. But there were only three kings — Saul, David and David’s son, Solomon.

Following Solomon’s reign, civil war divided the nation into northern Israel, called Israel, and southern Israel, called Judah. It’s difficult to remember all the kings who reigned in those two nations. Worse yet is separating the good kings from the bad.

But one is easy for me. Guess which one. I know you can get this. Take a guess.

King Asa!

It’s easy to remember that Asa was a good Hebrew king because how utterly embarrassing for my old, old pastor if they’d named him after a despicable one. But Asa wasn’t perfect, as you’ll see.

Big things happened during Asa’s reign. First, it’s because of King Asa, that there was finally peace between the warring two halves of Israel. Scripture calls it ten years of rest (2 Chronicles 14:1).

Asa cleaned up the mess made by Solomon, his son, and grandson — halting the worship of foreign gods and commanding his people to seek the Lord.

When an Ethiopian army of a million men with 300 chariots marched against Asa, outnumbering his army by nearly two to one. Asa cried to the Lord for help (2 Chronicles 14:11).

God gave Asa a miracle — Asa’s foot soldiers decimated the Ethiopians.

God’s prophet then told Asa, “The Lord is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you. But if you forsake Him, He will forsake you” (2 Chronicles 15:2).

Asa dearly loved the Lord and there was peace. But, in the 36th year of Asa’s reign, the king of Israel [northern Israel] tried to destroy Asa, and the 76-year-old king panicked. Asa quickly aligned himself with the king of Syria [Aram], although Syria was an enemy God wanted Asa to destroy. Instead, Asa sent the king of Syria silver and gold to attack cities in northern Israel. The king of Israel quickly withdrew his army from Asa to protect his towns.

God then sent a messenger to tell Asa, “Because you relied on the king of Syria, and did not rely on the Lord your God, the king of Syria escaped you. You have done foolishly… from now on you will have wars” (2 Chronicles 16:7,9).

It was fear. Asa didn’t rely on God because Asa was afraid. After Asa’s death, the emboldened king of Syria nearly killed Asa’s son in battle.

Fear is a terrible thing.

Right now, you may be in a desperate situation with an illness, financial distress, or a troubled relationship. And, like Asa, you can make the wrong decision.

Listen to me. When you’re afraid, your answer is to look at what God has done for you. It’s there you’ll find your peace and your path.

Look at the miracles in your life. The times God stepped forth and said, “I am with you!”

Always write those moments down. Keep a book devoted to His Presence. Read one every day. In a crisis, in the midst of your fear, you’ll remember the Lord and know that He walks with you.

“Oh, I’ll never forget,” many say to me. But you will.

Asa should have remembered the Ethiopian battle, but he didn’t. The Hebrews were only six weeks into the wilderness from Egypt when they faced adversity and wanted to return to slavery (Exodus 16:1-3).

The Hebrews failed to remember the miracles Moses performed with Pharoah. They forgot God parted the Red Sea! How was that even possible? But they did.

Fear caused them to waver, just like Asa—to go against God, to feel like God wasn’t there. Fear is a terrible thing.

Write down your miracles. Write all of them down. Read one every day.

The quality of your life depends on your walk with the Lord. Remember what God has done for you!

The Rev. Mathews (BA, MDiv, JD) is a faith columnist, seminary graduate, and the author of the Reaching to God series. Visit her at RAMathews.com

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Mathews. All rights reserved.