The Story of Asa, king of Judah, is, for me, one of the most moving stories amongst those of the kings of Israel and Judah. Asa had some experience, from the episode narrated in the previous chapter, of God’s faithfulness to those who trust him. Perhaps it was this episode that made an indelible impression on the young man and which inspired him to lead his people as he did in his early years. Asa was a man of faith, and to men of faith God always gives opportunities for that faith to be exercised. This opportunity came when the Cushites drew up against Judah to make war. It is here that Asa’s faith rises like steam from a pot of water that has been placed on the heat. And God’s hand is quick to meet Asa’s prayer because God loves to show faithfulness to the faithful. When you next face a trying situation, and perhaps you are facing one now, allow this situation to bring your faith to boiling point. See this situation as an opportunity to see the faithfulness of God. Because, as I have said, it is only when things get dark that we can see the light of a torch. The light may have always been there, but it is the darkness that allows us to see it. Let situations of hardship become the moments in which you encounter God in ways you could not otherwise do so with such definiteness and clarity.
Ask God to give you opportunities to trust him more.
Read 2 Chronicles 14
