June 13th, 20

JUNE 14,  HELP FOR THE POWERLESS

Today’s readings are I Kings 15, II Chronicles 13 – 14, and Philippians 4.  We are reading from the New Living Translation.

Asa cried out because he was outnumbered by the Egyptians – nearly one million Egyptians!  He was outnumbered, two to one.  Two to one is not good odds.  So he cried out,  

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!  (II Chron 14:11 NLT)

Asa cried out to the Lord, his God, when he knew the odds were against him.  Asa had learned something from his Dad, when he was just a boy.  He had learned to cry out to the Lord. His Dad, Abijah, had faced the army of Israel and was also outnumbered two to one – 800,000 to 400,000.  But Abijah had called on the name of the Lord, and the Lord gave him victory. And now Asa is king and he is also outnumbered two to one.  And he does what his dad did.  He cries out to God, and God hears him and defeats the nearly one-million-man army of the Egyptians.  Asa was a good man.  He remembered well what his dad knew; that God helps the powerless against the mighty.

You and I would do well to remember this, too.  Our God helps the powerless against the mighty.  Regardless of the  circumstances, that seem to be overpowering and stacked against us, we are called, not to be afraid and not to surrender.  We are reminded today, in Philippians, not to worry but to pray about everything, with thanksgiving. Then the God of peace will guard our hearts and minds and give us victory, even when the odds are two to one.

Let us remember well the lesson that Asa learned from his father, Abijah.  God is for us.  He is the God who helps the powerless against the mighty.  He is the God who wins our victory – even overwhelming victory!

You are loved!