In Me or in Him

6.14.2010

2 Chronicles 14:11b b O Lord, you are our God; let not man prevail against you.” ESV

On one occasion King Asa, a good-guy, was attacked by an army of over a million soldiers (see 2 Chronicles 14.9ff). He was greatly outnumbered but knew he had to fight because the Ethiopian army didn’t go to all that effort to just go away; so Asa prayed, “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.” (2 Chronicles 14:11).

I noticed he prayed, “…let not man prevail against You.” Asa had it right; the battle was the Lord’s, not his. Asa didn’t pray, “let not man prevail against us.” And it’s important to know why – the battle was not his, but God’s.

When I face difficulty, adversity, pain, calamity – any manner of troubling circumstances in which I might find myself, I must remember that it isn’t my problem, it’s the Lord’s; and how I respond will show just where my heart is – in me or in Him. Part of the reason I even have battles is to show me where my heart truly is…

Father in Heaven,

Your’s is the battle, the Kingdom, the power and the glory for ever and ever. You said You would fight my battles and in You, I am never alone. Father, help me to believe in Your provision and protection, and to know that when I fight, I fight for Your Name, not mine. The battle is not mine but Yours that I may know upon whom I depend – not me but You! Amen.