Today's Daily Bread

ASA CALLED TO THE LORD

Date : Friday, November 14, 2025
Passage : 2Chronicles 14:1~15
Keyverse : 11  
1
And Abijah rested with his ancestors and was buried in the City of David. Asa his son succeeded him as king, and in his days the country was at peace for ten years.
2
Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God.
3
He removed the foreign altars and the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles.
4
He commanded Judah to seek the LORD, the God of their ancestors, and to obey his laws and commands.
5
He removed the high places and incense altars in every town in Judah, and the kingdom was at peace under him.
6
He built up the fortified cities of Judah, since the land was at peace. No one was at war with him during those years, for the LORD gave him rest.
7
"Let us build up these towns," he said to Judah, "and put walls around them, with towers, gates and bars. The land is still ours, because we have sought the LORD our God; we sought him and he has given us rest on every side." So they built and prospered.
8
Asa had an army of three hundred thousand men from Judah, equipped with large shields and with spears, and two hundred and eighty thousand from Benjamin, armed with small shields and with bows. All these were brave fighting men.
9
Zerah the Cushite marched out against them with an army of thousands upon thousands and three hundred chariots, and came as far as Mareshah.
10
Asa went out to meet him, and they took up battle positions in the Valley of Zephathah near Mareshah.
11
Then Asa called to the LORD his God and said, "Lord, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, Lord our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this vast army. Lord, you are our God; do not let mere mortals prevail against you."
12
The LORD struck down the Cushites before Asa and Judah. The Cushites fled,
13
and Asa and his army pursued them as far as Gerar. Such a great number of Cushites fell that they could not recover; they were crushed before the LORD and his forces. The men of Judah carried off a large amount of plunder.
14
They destroyed all the villages around Gerar, for the terror of the LORD had fallen on them. They looted all these villages, since there was much plunder there.
15
They also attacked the camps of the herders and carried off droves of sheep and goats and camels. Then they returned to Jerusalem.
Asa became king of Judah. He relied on God and put his efforts to restore true worship. He removed the foreign altars and the places for idol worship. He commanded Judah to seek the Lord and keep His commandments. Asa was a comprehensive reformer, leading his people back to God. When he sought the Lord with all his heart, God blessed Judah with peace and prosperity. Those who remove idols from their hearts, set their minds on God’s word, and live a life of faith will have the mysterious peace of heaven.

During the time of peace, Asa strengthened Judah’s defenses by building up fortified cities with towers, gates, and bars. He kept his military preparedness, maintaining an army of 580,000 men from Judah and Benjamin. Then came a time of testing after a decade of peace. Zerah the Cushite brought an army of 1,000,000 men and 300 chariots against Judah. This was much larger than Asa’s army with superior military strength. Asa was not daunted by his enemies but put his trust in God who would help the powerless against the mighty. He asked God to help them fight against the vast army by relying on Him. Hearing Asa’s prayer, God led Judah to a great victory over the Cushites. God gives victory to those who turn their hearts to God and put their trust in Him, not themselves.

Prayer: Lord, help me to turn my heart back to you and rely on you in times of peace and trouble.
One Word: God hears the prayers of the powerless