Depending on the Lord

I'm going to do prayers this evening.

2 Chronicles chapter 14.

2 Chronicles 14 · chapter mention

!

Well, as we pray this evening, and especially as we've been thinking of the matters in our prayers,

we realise how often there is that variety in our prayers, the highs, the lows, the challenges that we often face.

And we've been looking at the Lord's Prayer recently.

We've begun looking at it.

And as we just share some words from this passage this evening, it's in light of the Lord's Prayer as well,

because there we are reminded who we are praying to.

We've looked at that part of the prayer which says,

Our Father who art in heaven.

It is about that relationship that we have with the Lord our God as his people.

Not just as the Lord who is the creator of all things, but the Lord who is indeed our Father.

We've thought of John 3 verse 1.

John 3:1

How we read there,

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called the children of God.

And that is what we are.

So there's great reminders for us as we turn to Scripture at such difficult times to pray,

because sometimes we just don't know what to pray.

We feel that just sense of burden for people, for situations,

and especially as we think of young Caleb tonight, just we wonder, what do we pray?

But let's not just think, what do we pray?

But let's think, who are we praying to?

So that whatever our words are, even if they're just the groanings of our heart,

they are known by God.

And they are known by God who is our Father in heaven.

And the wonderful thing about Scripture at such times as this,

is that it speaks into the reality of every situation that we find ourselves in.

We see prayers throughout the Scriptures that remind us of just how many different prayers there are.

You think of the many psalms that are prayers,

and the variety that you find in the psalms.

There's both delight and rejoicing,

but there's also crying to the Lord in trouble.

There's crying out to him for help.

There's crying out with questions,

such as we may have at these times.

But we thank God that he has given us that in his word,

the reality of all the different situations that we find ourselves in.

And even when you reflect on Jesus' prayers,

we've read John 17 recently as we were looking at the Lord's Prayer,

that wonderful prayer where Jesus prays for his people,

where he prays for you and for me.

And even as we think of those who we are praying for this evening,

we can have that assurance that the Lord has prayed for them,

that we come through his name.

But we also see the challenge of prayer with Jesus.

You think of his prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane,

how he was in agony, how he was praying to the Father,

if it be your will, let this cup pass me by,

but not my will be done, but yours.

The challenge that there is in that prayer.

And isn't there such a blessing that we can come to all of these passages in Scripture

and just remind ourselves we come to God.

We come to the Father in heaven.

As there begs daily reading today, very apt for today,

a reminder to pray was the heading of it.

How there are times when we can try and go on in our own strength,

managed by ourselves,

but we are reminded that we can't.

And we are often taken to those points

where we remember we cannot manage by ourselves.

No matter how much we would love to,

we depend on God.

And as the begs said in his daily reading today,

for when you pray and watch what God does,

you discover that he does far more

than you had even dared ask or thought to imagine.

And that is a hope that we have as we pray tonight.

That we pray and we watch what God does.

We don't know what it will be.

We don't know what the outcome will be.

But we watch what God does.

And God is able to do far more

than we ever dared ask or thought to imagine.

So our Lord reigns.

And that is our hope as we come in prayer.

And as we see with Asa here,

we see that element of prayer in his experience as well.

Prayer in good times,

prayer in difficult times.

But whether it's success or otherwise,

it was not dependent on his power.

It was all dependent on God.

On God who reigns on high.

We see in verse 2 there how Asa's reign begins

in a good way.

It begins by getting his priorities right.

He begins by,

Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord,

he took away the foreign altars,

the high places.

He broke down the pillars,

cut down the ashram.

He got rid of the idols that people were worshipping.

And so he began with this.

And he made God the focus of worship.

And they enjoy a long time of peace.

But then an army arises against their nation.

And trouble comes.

But he is ready to trust God.

Even in the midst of that,

when there seems a likelihood

that their victory would be slim.

But he prays.

And he organises his troops.

And so there's a reminder to us

that whether it's in the good times

or the difficult times,

we pray.

And we do as God asks.

We look for God's help and blessing.

And may we continue to pray with that confidence

that Asa has here,

that his God reigns,

our God reigns.

And just three things very briefly

as we look at this passage.

First of all,

we see that Asa felt powerless.

We see secondly,

he cried out.

And then thirdly,

he went to battle.

So he felt powerless.

When you read the beginning of the chapter,

verse 1 through to verse 7,

you see peace mentioned often.

Times of peace are mentioned.

And it tells us that there was no war in those years.

There was peace for 10 years.

They had this period

where it all was well.

But it's never just wasted in that sense.

It's not just a case of things going on well.

As we saw in verse 2,

Asa was making it clear for the people,

this is a time we worship God.

Things may go well,

but we still worship God.

And when we have that

in our times of peace,

we are far better prepared then

for when the times of challenge come.

Because we see that comes

in Asa's experience.

The Ethiopian army

arises against him

and his people.

And from there

comes trouble.

War is imminent.

What do they do?

You look at the numbers.

The numbers are recorded for us here.

And you think,

what's the purpose in that?

In verse 8,

Asa had an army of 300,000 from Judah

and he had 280,000 men from Benjamin

that carried shields and drew bows.

All were mighty men of valor.

You think,

well,

there's half a million soldiers that he has.

But then when you look at verse 9,

you see a number there as well.

Sarah,

the Ethiopian,

came out against them

with an army of a million men

and 300 chariots.

So the numbers are there for us

to show that this is

two against one.

Asa's army

is outnumbered

two to one.

And there's this sense of

where do we go?

What do we do?

How are we going to go

into this battle?

What can I do?

Would be Asa's cry.

Where can I go?

Well,

what did he do?

He did what we see

in verse 11.

He cried out

to the Lord,

his God.

He wasn't dismayed.

He wasn't discouraged.

He cried out

to the Lord.

And that's

a powerful reminder

to us

at this time.

We enjoy

times

of peace

and times

of blessing.

But where do we turn

when we feel powerless

or when we feel powerless

for others?

And what we do,

we feel that sense

of powerless

nature

because what can we do

for Caleb?

What can we do

for the family?

Well,

we can do the greatest thing

of all.

We cry out

to God

for them,

for us,

for all

who are going through

these difficult times.

We cry out

to God.

And that's never

a waste

of time.

The psalm,

one of the psalms

that we sang

had mentioned

that how often

you see people

around saying,

where is your God now?

What is your God

going to do?

How will God

help

in this situation?

Why has God

allowed this

to happen?

We don't lose

hope

in the midst

of it,

even though people

might say these

things.

They would maybe

say to Asa,

if you look at the

numbers,

how are you going

to manage

two against one?

It's a hopeless

situation,

a powerless

situation.

But no,

it's not

because he has

the Lord

with him.

So whether it's

peace or trouble

we are in,

what a blessing

to know

that God

is there

for us

to call upon.

So he felt

helpless,

we may feel

helpless,

but that's what

takes us

to God

because we

cannot do it,

but he can.

And that's

what we see

here,

secondly,

with Asa.

he cries out

to the Lord

from feeling

helpless and

powerless.

You see in

verse 11

here his

prayer.

And it's

only a few

words,

and yet it

says so

much to us.

Asa cried

out to the

Lord his

God,

O Lord,

there is

none like

you.

What

confidence

he has.

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 on

your name

we have

come against

this multitude.

O Lord,

you are

our God,

let not

man prevail

against you.

That's his

prayer.

It's only

one verse,

and yet it's

full of

so much

for us.

He cries

out to

God,

and it's

obvious,

it's the

God he

knows.

It's

obvious that

the ten

years of

peace that

they have

enjoyed,

has been

a time

of a

close

relationship

with

God.

Because

he's able

to say

these things

with confidence.

There is

none like

you to

help.

There's

been peace,

there's

been no

war,

so it's

not like

they've

seen it

time and

time again.

Here is

maybe a

new situation

for many

of the

people,

but Asa

is confident

in this

situation,

there is

none like

you to

help.

help.

And when

we come

into

trying

situations,

difficult

situations,

new

situations

for us,

there is

none like

you to

help.

There is

none like

God to

help.

There is

nothing too

difficult

for you.

When it

says there

is none

like you

to help,

another way

of translating

it that may be

closer is,

Lord, in the

scheme of

things, this

is nothing

to you.

In the

scheme of

things, this

is nothing

to you.

That is

who God

is.

He is

powerful,

he is

able, he

reminds us

in so many

different ways,

this is

nothing to

you.

We are

in your

hands, we

are committing

others into

your hands

because there

is nothing

too difficult

for you.

there are

times when

we can

feel alone,

times when

we maybe

feel, where

is God?

John Knox,

I'm sure

you've heard

of him,

a reformer

in Scotland,

he was used

by God in a

mighty way,

but he said

this, a man

with God

is always

in the

majority.

A man

with God

is always

in the

majority.

Why was he

saying that?

because there

were many

times when

he felt

alone,

when he

felt that

there was

maybe no

one to

help around

him, and

yet he was

able to

say a man

with God

is always

in the

majority.

And that

is who

is on

our side

as well.

He doesn't

leave his

people.

He doesn't

abandon us

in our

time of

need.

Asa knew

that.

He went

and cried

to the

Lord,

there is

none like

you to

help.

Between the

mighty and

the weak,

it doesn't

matter who

we are,

it doesn't

matter what

situation

we're in,

mighty or

weak,

he is

able to

help.

Oh Lord,

we rely

on you.

That is

our cry

to the

Lord of

the

impossible,

to the

one who

is able.

next week

we're going

to be with

the children

God willing

in the

hall.

We're going

to be

focusing on

the armour

of God.

That's going

to be our

focus.

But this

isn't just

something we

teach young

people.

This isn't

just something

to teach

the children.

First and

foremost,

it's to

remind

ourselves.

Take up

the armour

of God

as it

says in

Ephesians

6.

That's what

we need

at this

time.

That's

what we

need

day by

day.

All

these

bits

of armour

that help

us to

know God

with us,

to help

us know

God's

protection.

And with

that we

stand.

With

that we

defend

ourselves

against

the

attacks.

We have

that armour

of God

to help

us.

His

word,

the

spirit,

faith,

all of

these

things.

We

have

them.

We

rely

on them.

We

depend

on

them.

That's

what

Asa

was

depending

on

here.

Oh

Lord,

there

is

none

like

you

to

help.

That

is

what

we

have.

That

is

who

we

have.

We

cry

out

to

God.

Back

in the

16th

century,

he was

a man,

Sir

Walter

Raleigh.

He

used to

come,

it

with

requests

to

such

an

extent

that

one

day

she

said

to

him

when

he

had

come

with

another

request,

Riley,

when

will

you

stop

coming

to

me

begging?

Sir

Walter

reply

was,

when

your

majesty

stops

giving.

And

there's

a great

reminder

to us

there.

God

doesn't

say,

when

will

you

stop

coming

with

your

requests

because

he

never

stops

giving.

He

never

says

to

us

enough,

you've

had

your

fill.

Instead

he

says

come,

cast

your

cares

upon

me

for

I

care

for

you.

And

so

let

us

cry

out

to

the

one

with

whom

all

things

are

possible.

So

Asa

cried

out,

O

Lord,

you

are

able,

there

is

none

like

you

to

help.

But

you

see,

thirdly,

hear us

well.

He

went

into

battle.

In

verse

12,

the

Lord

went

into

battle

with

him.

So

the

Lord

defeated

the

Ethiopians

before

Asa

and before

Judah

and the

Ethiopians

bled.

Asa

didn't

just

say,

Lord,

that's

it,

I'm

done.

He

went

into

battle.

You

see

that

as

you

read

on

how

they

pursued

after

the

Ethiopians.

They

went

into

battle

two

against

one,

but

they

went

with

God

on

his

side.

They

went

in

confidence.

They

went

relying

on

God,

on

his

name.

They

went

relying

and

believing

that

he

was

able

to

fight

for

them.

And

look at

the

way

it

says

in

verse

11,

O

Lord,

you

are

our

God,

let

not

man

prevail

against

you.

Let

not

man

prevail

against

you.

It's

like

he's

saying,

Lord,

show

us

your

glory

in

the

midst

of

this.

Let

not

man

prevail

against

you.

They

wanted

to see

the

glory

of

God

in

the

midst.

They

wanted

to see

God

fighting

for

them

that

they

might

praise

his

name.

And

it's

a

reminder

to

us

as

well.

We

go

into

battle.

When

you

think

of

the

armour

of

God,

it's

to

go

into

battle.

It's

because

we're

in a

day

by

day

battle

against

an

enemy

who

wants

to

defeat

us.

But

as

we

take

up

the

armour

of

God

and

as

we

pray

to

God,

we

do

so,

Lord,

that

we

might

see

your

glory.

Not

that

but

for

his.

That

even

through

the

most

difficult

of

times

and

experiences

as

has

been

prayed

that

we

would

see

God

working.

That

we

would

see

God

giving

blessings

in

extraordinary

ways.

That

we

would

see

a

witness

to

those

around

us

who

have

maybe

no

thought

of

God

at

this

time

and

yet

who

are

showing

an

interest

in

the

situation

that

Caleb

and the

family

find

themselves

in.

That

the

witness

of

the

church

that

the

prayers

of

the

church

that

the

love

of

Christ

that

the

church

shows

will

be

a

witness

to

all

around.

Let

the

glory

of

God

be

seen

in

it.

But

again

the

glory

of

God

the

peace

of

God

would

shine

upon

them

as

a

family

and

upon

all

who

need

the

Lord

in

special

ways

at

this

time.

Asa's

with

all

our

fights

are

with

the

Lord

on

our

side.

As

Psalm

Psalms 18:29

18

verse

29

says

with

help

from

God

I

can

advance

against

a

troop

and

rout

them

all

and

with

the

aid

my

God

will

give

I

can

leap

over

any

wall.

That's

what

Asa knew

in his

experience

here.

With

the

help

of

God

I

can

advance.

God

was

with

him.

And

as

we

go

into

the

battle

of

prayer

that

we

go

with

faith

that

we

go

with

confidence

in

God

that

we

do

not

lose

heart

as

we

pray

even

in

the

most

difficult

situations

but

that

we

pray

with

faith

with

confidence

in

God

the

God

who

is

able

the

God

who

there

is

none

like

you

to

help

that

is

the

same

God

that

we

pray

to

as

well

a

man

called

Lancelot

Andrews

he

was one

of the

translators

involved

in the

King

James

Bible

back

in

1611

there's

a

prayer

of

his

recorded

and I

think

it's

a

great

little

prayer

for us

to

think

of

even

as

we

think

of

how

we

pray

to

God

just

now

he

prayed

this

!

He

was

praying

for

God

all

encompassing

in

every

way

surrounding

him

and

that's

our

prayer

for

those

in

need

tonight

it's

our

prayer

for

ourselves

be

within

me

to

strengthen

me

without

me

to

keep

me

above

me

to

protect

me

beneath

me

to

uphold

me

before

me

to

direct

me

behind

me

to

keep

me

from

straying

round

about

me

to

defend

me

that's

our

prayer

for

those

in

need

and

for

ourselves

may

we

keep

praying

keep

praying

for

those

in

need

keep

praying

with

confidence

we

feel

helpless

for

ourselves

and

for

others

but

we

are

reminded

we

have

a

great

God

we

have

a

father

in

heaven

to

come

to

who

hears

who

answers

our

prayers

as

he

knows

best

asa

cried

to

the

Lord

O

Lord

there

is

none

like

you

to

help

we

cry

to

the

Lord

in

the

same

way

because

there

is

none

like

you

to

help

O

Lord

between

the

mighty

and

the

weak

help

us

help

us

Lord

keep

praying

help

those

who

need

you

let

us

pray

Lord

our

gracious

God

we

thank

you

that

we

have

your

word

we

have

that

assurance

from

it

we

have

that

confidence

in

it

O

Lord

there

is

none

like

you

to

help

between

the

mighty

and

the

weak

help

us

O

Lord

we

pray

to

be

be

all

around

them

day

by

day

Lord

be

our

guide

be

our

shepherd

as

we

ask

it

all

in

Jesus

name

Amen

we

we're

going

to

conclude

by