Calm in the Chaos

As I sit here typing, someone is directly above my head, hammer in hand. A hail storm moved through Dallas last May and it’s our turn to get a new roof. I’ve already prayed for every man on my very steep roof! The picture is them giving me a “thumbs up” when I told them that!

Last Friday morning Jim and I were on our way to vote. We rounded the corner and witnessed a car, on its side, with the wheels still turning. A woman was in the driver’s seat and moving. We quickly parked and ran to see if we could help. Apparently a car had run the red light, hitting her car, and it had rolled onto the passenger side of the vehicle. The woman was literally hanging from her seat belt. There were people helping the man in the other car, so we stayed with her.

Another man ran over saying that he had called 911 so we knew help was on the way. We weren’t sure if we would be able to get her out of the window so I ran around back and tried the hatch. Fluid was coming out of the car and I was so happy to see that back door open up. She was able to walk down the side of her car and exit just as the fire truck arrived. The woman was a nurse at a nearby hospital and, while she was shaken, she was actually quite calm in the crisis. I hope that if I am ever rushed to the hospital, she is on duty.

Everyone’s life has moments of chaos and crisis. Last week I taught from 2 Chronicles, chapter 14. Asa was the great-grandson of King Solomon, and Scripture says, “Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God” (vs.11). He was the king of Judah and reigned forty-one years. Judah had lacked God’s blessing for several decades by the time Asa became King. Asa spent the first ten years of his reign clearing the idols out of the land, repairing the walls of Jerusalem, and strengthening the army. Most importantly, he led the people to return to lives of obedience to God.

Later, Judah had to face the Cushites, the largest army described in Scripture. Asa knew that defeat was inevitable unless God intervened. So Asa prayed: “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” (2 Chronicles 14:11).

The remainder of 2 Chronicles 14 describes how God answered Asa’s prayer and “struck down the Cushites.” The enormous army was defeated by Judah’s army because “the terror of the Lord had fallen” on the enemy of Judah. We know that God worked a miracle, but we don’t know what the miracle was. It would be another 300 years before that people group would come against Israel again. Whatever God did left a lasting impression on the Cushites for a long time.

Later a prophet came to Asa with these words: “Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin. The Lord is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you…But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded” (2 Chron. 15:2, 7).

The news, the election, and a lot of other things seem chaotic or maybe even like a crisis. God’s people can be at peace. God’s mighty power is simply a prayer away. Are you praying for both of the candidates? As I told my classes last week, we could be electing the next “Paul” or “Paulina.” We just need to pray them to their personal encounter with the God of the universe. Their road to Damascus might be the way God answers our prayers.

The Cushites should have crushed the army of Judah . . . but they couldn’t. I’m looking forward to finding Asa in heaven one day and listening to him tell the story. We don’t know what God did, but we do know that the same God who helped David defeat Goliath, and parted the waters of the Red Sea, and sent the flood, and struck down the Cushites, is still the same God we speak to when we pray.

Asa did what was “good and right in the eyes of the Lord” and was blessed. God’s promise to Asa is still our promise today. If we seek the Lord, he will be found. But if we forsake him, he will forsake us. So let’s “be strong and not give up” because God can and does work miracles. When faithful people will work, “they are rewarded” (2 Chron. 15).

What do you need to ask God for today? Before you pray, take a few minutes to remember all that He is capable of accomplishing in and through people who are faithful. Then, pray like Asa and watch for God to bless. The Lord promised He is with us when we are with him.



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: How are you addressing the election with your children?