|
|
2 Chronicles 14 Commentary
by Brad Boyles
The attack that comes upon Israel is from the Ethiopians but that is deceiving. During this time Egypt had gained power. These Ethiopian forces were most likely mercenaries working for Egypt and were attempting to gain ground within Judah. Asa responded like a king should. He fell to his knees and dedicated the battle to the Lord. The fact that they were outnumbered certainly helped to draw this prayer out of the king.
Many times when we are overmatched and outnumbered, God has set the scene for us to come back and rely on Him. We see this throughout the New Testament as well.
7 But to keep me from being puffed up with pride because of the many wonderful things I saw, I was given a painful physical ailment, which acts as Satan’s messenger to beat me and keep me from being proud. 8 Three times I prayed to the Lord about this and asked him to take it away. 9 But his answer was: “My grace is all you need, for my power is greatest when you are weak.” I am most happy, then, to be proud of my weaknesses, in order to feel the protection of Christ’s power over me.
2 Corinthians 12:7-9 GNB
Continual reliance on Him usually means we must experience weakness. Otherwise, I can simply rely on myself to get the job done. It’s a basic but powerful thought. We usually complain when we are suffering. What if we genuinely allowed each trial to strengthen us by being joyful? It’s a radical and extremely difficult thought. But through Jesus, it is possible. To be able to say we are proud of our weakness because it allows us to feel the protection of Christ is an amazing feeling.