One thing I pray in my morning prayers is that I won’t bring any shame to the name of Christ…or my Abba God. It is on my mind a lot. It’s not an obsession, but I am so very cognizant of the fact that living in a flesh and blood body puts me at great disadvantage.

It’s like the apple tree that blooms but never bears fruit…the grape vine that never has grapes…the flower that never blooms…I am not living the way our Abba God intended.

And that brings me to King Asa. He was the son of King Abijah who was the son of Rehoboam who we remember was King Solomon’s son. 2 Chronicles 14:2 says, “And Asa did good and right in the sight of the Lord his God.”

Asa:

Removed the foreign altars and the high places

Tore down the sacred pillars

Cut down the Asherim

Removed the high places and the incense altars from all the cities of Judah

Built fortified cities.

After a period of peace, Zerah the Ethiopian came out against Asa and Israel with a million men and 300 chariots. Asa’s fighting men numbered 300,000 from Judah and 280,000 from Benjamin. Pretty outnumbered I think. But Asa “called to the LORD his God and said, ‘LORD there is no one besides Thee to help in the battle between the powerful and those who have no strength; so help us. O LORD our God for we trust in Thee, and in Thy Name have come against this multitude. O LORD Thou art our God; let not men prevail against Thee.’ “(14:11)

And look what happens. The LORD routes the Ethiopians. Look again at Asa’s prayer, He asks God  not to allow men to prevail against the LORD. The Lord’s reputation is at stake.

In 2 Chronicles 15:2 the prophet Azariah warns Asa. “Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin: the LORD is with you when you are with Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.”

Asa in fact continues on with great reforms throughout the land. Asa restored the altar that was in front of the porch of the LORD. He called all the people and celebrated. They sacrificed many animals to the LORD and entered a covenant to seek the LORD with all their heart.

But immediately we see Asa give the treasures of the LORD’s house to Ben Hadad king of Aram. Asa needed an ally to help him fight Baasha king of Israel. Wait. Does Asa not remember? Those huge odds against him when Zerah came up with a million men? Doesn’t look like it.

Next the seer Hanani comes and speaks God’s judgment on Asa because he trusted in an earthly king and not the LORD. Instead of being repentant, Asa imprisons Hanani. At the end of his life, scripture tells us Asa becomes diseased in his feet.

And here is my heart. So many kings of the Jewish people begin well. We could make a long list. But after some time, it’s like they develop  “God amnesia”. They cannot remember their God’s might acts of the past on their behalf. They cannot see their blessings coming form the hand of God. Forgotten, they turn to other means, shame our Father, and bring disaster on themselves and usually the people.

This is the place I never want to be. Instead, I want to always remember Who it is that provides, teaches, leads, and sustains me. I want to always brag on my Abba God. Thankful always. Trusting always. Giving Him glory always.

Tragedy, disasters, problems can happen suddenly and blind side us. In these times, let’s just stop. Our Abba knows what to do and when. He knows what the best solution is. Let’s pray for one another that we hold one another up…remembering who we are and whose we are…and look to Him.