The Power of Faith: Overcoming Impossible Odds
By Dean Collins
What are the odds? In a quick Google search, I learned that humans have been placing bets or participating in some form of gambling dating back 2,000 to 3,000 years before Christ. I suppose in some ways it isn’t hard to imagine that man has been making mental wagers all the way back to the garden of Eden when Adam and Eve took the risk that they were smarter than God. We lost that bet, as you recall, yet we all have at one time or another acted as if we knew more than our Creator based on some of our decisions!
As we read chapter 14 of 2 Chronicles, we see how King Asa overcame incredible odds in a battle against the Ethiopian king Zerah. In the first few verses of this chapter, Ezra tells us that Asa was a good king and did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. He had broken down the idols of Judah and called on all in Judah to seek the Lord and keep the law and commandments. As a result of his faithfulness to God and bringing about this religious reform, God blessed Judah with ten years of peace.
During the early years of Asa’s reform, he also took care of the infrastructure of Judah by building walls, towers, gates, and bars for added safety and security. But then there is a twist in the story. We aren’t given much context for what happened next, but we are given details concerning the size of the armies involved.
Judah had an army of 300,000, who had shields and spears. They were joined by the army of Benjamin, who added 280,000 soldiers who had shields and bows. In total, 580,000 foot soldiers.
The opposing army led by an Ethiopian king named Zerah had an army totaling one million. They also had the advantage of technology: 300 chariots.
The battle took place not in caves or in the fortified cities but in the open field of Mareshah. So, consider the odds. Judah was outnumbered two to one and had less technology and an open field to maneuver. If there was a bookie in Judah, I am guessing the bets were on Zerah for the win!
King Asa went out to face his opponent. He clearly saw the challenge they were facing. Asa didn’t give a pep talk to his army or remind them of any strategy. Based on the text, it would seem that Asa had already decided that Judah was outnumbered. With the odds against him, he did what we can and should always do in times of difficulty: Asa cried out to God for help.
“O Lord, there is none like you to help, between the mighty and the weak. Help us, O Lord our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this multitude. O Lord, you are our God; let not man prevail against you.”
God answered Asa’s prayer for help. The text records a complete defeat of the enemy, with so much spoil from the battle that the army of Judah struggled to gather it all.
Maybe one important lesson for us to learn is that when we walk in obedience to God and call upon him for help, there is no battle, no situation, and no difficulty that is too much for God to handle. Time and time again we are reminded in scripture that with God, all things are possible. Nothing is too big for God to handle.
We will, however, often face challenges much bigger than us. I bet that like me, you can think of at least a few times, and maybe more, when what you faced appeared to be much greater than you could handle. Yet when we pray to our Heavenly Father, we discover that his word is true. Paul said it this way: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” And Jesus said it more specifically: “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
When facing any and every difficult situation in life, we can either bet on ourselves, our solutions, and our strength, or we can choose to put our faith in the one who has promised to help us and has proven throughout all of history that he is more than enough to get us through any and everything we face.
Father, today as we face new challenges both large and small, we pray the simple yet powerful prayer of King Asa:
“O Lord, there is none like you to help, between the mighty and the weak. Help us, O Lord our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this multitude. O Lord, you are our God; let not man prevail against you.”
In Jesus’ name, amen.
Your Time with God’s Word
2 Chronicles 14:1-13 ESV
Photo by Jason Hogan on Unsplash
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