2 Chronicles 14:8-15: a reflection

8Asa had an army of three hundred thousand out of Judah who bore bucklers and spears, and two hundred eighty thousand out of Benjamin who bore shields and drew bows. All these were mighty men of valor. 9Zerah the Ethiopian came out against them with an army of a million troops and three hundred chariots, and he came to Mareshah. 10Then Asa went out to meet him, and they set the battle in array in the valley of Zephathah at Mareshah. 11Asa cried to the LORD his God, and said, “LORD, there is no one besides you to help, between the mighty and him who has no strength. Help us, LORD our God; for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this multitude. LORD, you are our God. Don’t let man prevail against you.” 12So the LORD struck the Ethiopians before Asa and before Judah; and the Ethiopians fled. 13Asa and the people who were with him pursued them to Gerar. So many of the Ethiopians fell that they could not recover themselves, for they were destroyed before the LORD and before his army. Judah’s army carried away very much booty. 14They struck all the cities around Gerar, for the fear of the LORD came on them. They plundered all the cities, for there was much plunder in them. 15They also struck the tents of those who had livestock, and carried away sheep and camels in abundance, then returned to Jerusalem.

King Asa faces an enemy army vastly larger than his own, an overwhelming host against which his forces seem hopeless. But Asa prays a prayer that reveals a deep insight into God's help: LORD, there is no one besides you to help, between the strong and the one who has no strength. Help us, for we rely on you. Asa understood that with God, the size of the odds does not matter; God can as easily help the weak against the strong as the strong against the weak. And God gives the victory.

Notice Asa's insight: with God, the odds do not matter. He did not measure his hope by comparing his army with the enemy's; he saw that God is able to help the weak as readily as the strong, that the disparity in numbers was nothing to God. There is no one besides you to help, between the strong and the weak: God's help is not limited by the odds. Whether we are strong or weak, many or few, matters nothing to the God who gives the victory; it depends on him, not on the odds.

That insight is worth carrying into our own overwhelming situations. When we face odds that seem hopeless, vastly outmatched, we tend to measure our hope by the odds, and to despair when they are against us. But Asa saw that with God, the odds do not matter; God can help the weak against the strong as easily as the strong against the weak. The outcome depends not on the disparity of forces, but on the God we rely on. When you face odds that seem overwhelming, outmatched and hopeless by human reckoning, do not measure your hope by the odds; remember Asa's insight, that with God the odds do not matter, for he can help the weak as readily as the strong. Rely on God, as Asa relied, rather than despairing at the disparity; the God who gives the victory is not limited by the odds against you, and can help you though you are outmatched, as he helped Asa against the overwhelming host.

Lord, King Asa faced an enemy army vastly larger than his own, and prayed a prayer of deep insight: LORD, there is no one besides you to help, between the strong and the one who has no strength; help us, for we rely on you; and you gave the victory. Show me his insight: with you, the odds do not matter. He did not measure his hope by comparing his army with the enemy's; he saw that you are able to help the weak as readily as the strong, that the disparity in numbers was nothing to you. Your help is not limited by the odds. Help me carry that insight into my own overwhelming situations. When I face odds that seem hopeless, vastly outmatched, I tend to measure my hope by the odds, and to despair when they are against me. But Asa saw that with you, the odds do not matter; you can help the weak against the strong as easily as the strong against the weak. The outcome depends not on the disparity of forces, but on you, whom I rely on. When I face odds that seem overwhelming, keep me from measuring my hope by the odds; help me remember Asa's insight, that with you the odds do not matter. Help me rely on you, as Asa relied, rather than despairing at the disparity; you, who give the victory, are not limited by the odds against me, Lord. Help me rely on you when I am outmatched.