Don’t Miss Your Chance - King Asa

At that time Hanani the seer came to King Asa and told him, “Because you have put your trust in the king of Aram instead of in the LORD your God, you missed your chance to destroy the army of the king of Aram.”

2 Chronicles 16:7

George Parker, one of the most daring and creative con men in American history, made a living by selling famous New York City landmarks to gullible tourists.

One of Parker’s favorite sale items was the Brooklyn Bridge, which he sold twice a week over a period of several years, convincing his marks that they could make a killing if they controlled access to the roadway. More than once, police had to remove conned buyers as they attempted to erect toll barriers on the bridge.

Some people will always put their trust in the wrong people. Asa, Judah’s third king, made that mistake.

Like so many kings of ancient Judah, Asa started out doing good things for his kingdom. The prophet Azariah had told him, “The LORD will stay with you as long as you stay with him! Whenever you seek him, you will find him. But if you abandon him, he will abandon you” (2 Chronicles 15:2).

For a time, Asa trusted and obeyed God, but later in his reign, he failed by relying on humans and human institutions instead of on God. The results spoke for themselves.

Asa showed his true colors when he entered into an agreement with Syria to stand against Israel, whose army he could and should have destroyed. Asa’s solution worked for a time, but it had grave consequences in the long run.

Asa’s refusal to rely solely on God contributed to his death. When he developed a life-threatening foot disease, he went to his doctors rather than first seek God’s help (see 2 Chronicles 16:12). He thus missed another chance, and no one gets an unlimited supply.

Where do you turn in your times of need? Do you consider prayer a “first resort” or a “second resort”? You can never go wrong by fully trusting God to care and provide for you and for those you love. He will never let you down.