Asa prayed to the LORD his God: “O LORD, there is no one but you who can help the weak when they are vastly outnumbered. Help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on you and have marched on your behalf against this huge army. O LORD, you are our God; don’t let [anyone] prevail against you!” (2 Chron 14:11, NET)
The RV version of the Bible says it like this:
“Lord, there is none beside thee to help.” (2 Chron 14:11, RV).
As Christians, as the adopted sons and daughters of God, we can remind God of His entire responsibility and claim this promise in prayer and by stepping out in faith, towards the direction of said prayer.
“There is none beside thee to help.”
The odds against Asa were enormous. There was a million soldiers in arms against him, in addition to three hundred chariots. It seemed impossible to hold his own against that vast multitude. There were no allies who would come to his help; his only hope, therefore, was in God. According to Rev 3:10 we will all face such times of severe testing where we can only rely on Jesus and His word. There will be no other avenue of hope of help. But so often so may of us tend to rely on our own knowledge, our own actions as the religious panacea that is needed.
It may be that your difficulties have been allowed to come to such an alarming a pitch that you might also be compelled to renounce all creature aid, all human comforts and resources to which in lesser trials you have had recourse, and cast yourself back on your Almighty Friend.
Most of us Christians don’t worry too much about such things as long as we have our properties, our assets, our savings,our beliefs liturgical practices. But are any of these able to take the place of relying ONLY on Christ? As Paul stated it:
When I talked with you or preached, I didn’t try to prove anything by sounding wise. I simply let God’s Spirit show his power. That way you would have faith because of God’s power and not because of human wisdom. (1 Cor 2:4-5, CEV)
Put Jesus between yourself and the your biggest impossibility. Your very worst enemy. To Asa’s faith, God seemed to stand right between the might of Zerah and himself, as one who had no strength. Nor was he mistaken. We are told that the Ethiopians were destroyed before the Lord and before His host, as though celestial combatants flung themselves against the foe in Israel’s behalf, and put the large host to rout, so that Israel had only to follow up and gather the spoil.
In verity, our God is Jehovah of hosts, who can summon unexpected reinforcements at any moment to aid His people. Believe that He is there between you and your difficulty, and what baffles you will flee before Him, as clouds before the gale. “”The LORD said He would dwell in the dark cloud.” (1 Kings 8:12) Exodus 19:9 And the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I come to you in the thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with you, and believe you forever.” So Moses told the words of the people to the LORD.
There truly IS “light in every cloud.” That light is Jesus! He has assured us in many Bible passages that He alone is the “light of the world.” Joh 8:12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”
“When nothing whereon to lean remains,
When strongholds crumble to dust;
When nothing is sure but that God still reigns,
That is just the time to trust.“’tis better to walk by faith than sight,
In this path of yours and mine;
And the pitch-black night, when there’s no outer light
Is the time for faith to shine.” (author unknown)
Maybe we think of our faith and our Christian walk as failure. Maybe the way seems impossible. But according to the everlasting gospel, it is just at such a time when the gospel can go forth with ever increasing light and power:
Exodus 19:9 Glory of Cloud Emanated From Christ.
The cloud that guided Israel, stood over the tabernacle. The glory of the cloud emanated from Jesus Christ, who from the midst of the glory talked with Moses, as He had talked with him from the burning bush. The brightness of God’s presence was enshrouded in the darkness of the cloud which He made His pavilion, that the people could endure to look upon the cloud, as seeing Him who is invisible. This was God’s plan whereby He might approach man {1BC 1103.12}
Jesus once said:
“Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.” (John 6:12)
Christ often tests us to show what we shall say and do in the presence of overwhelming difficulty, but He always knows the way out. We at once begin to calculate our paltry resources, and to confess their inadequacy. We come back to explain that when we have done our utmost, we can provide very little. Then He steps in, determined that everyone shall be filled, with an ample supply left over. He makes His guests sit down in comfort on the grass, because there is plenty of time, as well as an abundance of food, for a happy and comfortable meal. We must bring Him what we have, however small it may be; the Church must enter into His great plan and arrange the people for the banquet; we too must distribute the food and gather up the broken pieces. The world is to be fed by the cooperation of Christ and His Church.
According to the everlasting gospel, there is hope among the fragments. if your heart has been broken by grief, by worry, by fear, or by anything else, JESUS will just make art with the pieces. We are borne by the anguish we bear, and as Christ-followers, we turn that into the love that we want to give. This can only happen as we reach out to Him in total dependence. (John 14:6) We can take all the tattered fragments of our life to Jesus and He will make beautiful art out of the pieces. (Eccl 3:11, Rom 8:28), Praise God!
Isa 43:19 Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert.
Isa 42:16 I will bring the blind by a way they did not know; I will lead them in paths they have not known. I will make darkness light before them, And crooked places straight. These things I will do for them, And not forsake them.
None Besides Thee: If you are facing battles you feel you can’t possibly win, don’t give up. In the face of a vast horde of enemy soldiers, Asa prayed for God’s help, recognizing his powerlessness against such a mighty army. The secret of victory is first to admit the futility of unaided human effort and then to trust God to save. His power works best through those who recognize their limitations (2 Cor 12:9). It is those who think they can do it all on their own who are in the greatest danger. (Life Application Study Bible Notes)
God Will Work With Us When We Trust Him.
And Asa cried out to the LORD his God, and said, “LORD, it is nothing for You to help, whether with many or with those who have no power; help us, O LORD our God, for we rest on You, and in Your name we go against this multitude. O LORD, You are our God; do not let man prevail against You!” (2 Chron 14:11)
This is an appropriate prayer for us to make today. Generally speaking, our current prospects are anything but flattering. There are vast numbers arrayed against the truth, whom we must meet in presenting the light to others. Our hope is not in our knowledge of the truth, and in our own ability, but in the living God … There should be … living faith for the mighty God to manifest His power, else all will prove a failure. God defeated the enemies of Israel. He put their forces into disorder. They fled they knew not whither. Who can stand before the Lord God of Israel? {3BC 1131.10}
Now we are not warring against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers and spiritual wickedness in high places. The Lord would encourage us to look to Him as the source of all our strength, the One who is able to help us. We may look to [other people], and they will give us counsel, and yet this may be defeated; but when the God of Israel undertakes work for us, He will make it a success. We want to know that we are right before God; if we are not right before Him, then we want to make an earnest effort to come into right relation to Him. We must individually do something ourselves. We are not to risk our eternal interest upon guesswork. We must set everything right; we must follow out the requirements of God, and then expect God to work with our efforts. 2 Chron 20:15. God works in us by the light of His truth. We are to be obedient to all His commandments. {3BC 1132.1}
If only we could take this point into consideration, that the work in which we are engaged is not our work, but God’s work, and we as humble instruments are laborers together with Him; and with an eye single to God’s glory, (Mat 6:22) not mistake the beginning of the Christian life for its consummation, but see the necessity of training upon the earth to prepare us for doing God’s will! We are not to lift up ourselves, not to be self-confident, but to trust in God, knowing that He is willing and able to help us. God will work with His people, but we want to be in that position where our trust and confidence will become firm in Him (RH May 10, 1887). {3BC 1132.2}
The application Asa made to God on occasion of the threatening cloud which now hung over his head, 2 Chron 14:11.
The very one that sought God in the day of his peace and prosperity could with holy boldness cry to God in the day of his trouble, and call him his God. His prayer is short, but has much in it.
1. He gives to God the glory of his infinite power and sovereignty: It is nothing with thee to help and save by many or few, by those that are mighty or by those that have no power. See 1 Sam 14:6. God works in his own strength, not in the strength of instruments (Psalms 21:13), it is his glory to help the weakest and to perfect strength out of the seemingly impossibilities that we face. “We do not say, Lord, take our part, for we have a good army for thee to work by; but, take our part, for without you we have no power.” (John 14:6)
2. He takes hold of their covenant-relation to God as theirs. O Lord, our God! and again:
“Thou art our God, whom we have chosen and cleave to as ours, and who has promised to be ours.” (Exodus 6:7, Rev 21:7)
God’s promises in these verses were fulfilled to the letter when the Hebrews left Egypt. He freed them from slavery, became their God, and accepted them as his people. Then he led them toward the land he had promised. When the Hebrews were rescued from slavery, they portrayed the drama of salvation for all of us. When God redeems us from sin, he delivers us, accepts us, and becomes our God. Then he leads us to a new life as we follow him.
3. He pleads their dependence upon God, and the eye they had to him in this expedition. He was well prepared for it, yet trusted not to his own preparations,saying instead:
“Lord, we rest wholly in YOU, and in YOUR name we go against this multitude, by warrant from YOU, aiming only for your glory, and trusting to YOUR strength alone.”
4. He interests God in their cause: “Let not man” (meaning mortal man) “prevail against thee. If he prevail against us, it will be said that he prevails against YOU , because thou art our God, and we rest on YOU and go forth in your name, which YOU encouraged us to do. The enemy is a mortal, impermanent thing. The gospel is “everlasting.” (Rev 14:6) Make it to appear what an unequal match he is for an immortal God. Lord, maintain your honor and your glory in our life now.”
“Hallowed by thy name.”
Now we are not warring against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers and spiritual wickedness in high places. The Lord would encourage us to look to Him as the source of all our strength, the One who is able to help us. We may look to men, and they will give us counsel, and yet this may be defeated; but when the God of Israel undertakes work for us, He will make it a success.
We want to know that we are right before God; if we are not right before Him, then we want to make an earnest effort to come in right relation to Him. We must individually do something ourselves. We are not to risk our eternal interest upon guesswork. We must set everything right; we must follow out the requirements of God, and then expect God to work with our efforts. 2 Chron 20:15. God works in us by the light of His truth. We are to be obedient to all His commandments. {3BC 1132.1}
The work in which we are engaged as Christians is not our work, but God’s work, and we as humble instruments are laborers together with Him; and with an eye single to God’s glory, not mistake the beginning of the Christian life for its consummation, but see the necessity of training upon the earth to prepare us for doing God’s will! We are not to lift up ourselves, not to be self-confident, but to trust in God, knowing that He is willing and able to help us. God will work with His people, but we want to be in that position where our trust and confidence will become firm in Him {3BC 1132.2}
As Paul would say:
My teaching and my speaking were not with wise words that persuade people. But the proof of my teaching was the power that the Spirit gives. I did this so that your faith would be in God’s power, not in human wisdom. (1 Cor 2:4-5, ERV)
Paul had written briefly to the church, admonishing them “not to company” with members who should persist in profligacy; but many of the believers perverted the apostle’s meaning, quibbled over his words, and excused themselves for disregarding his instruction. {AA 300.1}
In my other letter I told you not to have anything to do with immoral people. But I wasn’t talking about the people of this world. You would have to leave this world to get away from everyone who is immoral or greedy or who cheats or worships idols. I was talking about your own people who are immoral or greedy or worship idols or curse others or get drunk or cheat. Don’t even eat with them! Why should I judge outsiders? Aren’t we supposed to judge only church members? (1 Cor 5:9-12, CEV)
We cannot pray other than:
“O LORD, there is no one but you who can help the weak when they are vastly outnumbered. Help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on you and have marched on your behalf against this huge army. O LORD, you are our God; don’t let [anyone] prevail against you!” (2 Chron 14:11, NET)