II Chronicles 14:6 “And he built fenced cities in Judah: for the land had rest, and he had no war in those years; because the LORD had given him rest.”
I feel like I can relate, at least a little bit, to King Asa. I am at the stage in life where I am old enough to know, yet young enough to change! That can make a big difference! Why would Asa build fenced cities at a time you wouldn’t expect? He had no enemies at the time-it was “peacetime.” Asa was wise enough to know what he should do, and he built fences for the enemies he would have.
Asa was a one of the kings we read about that did what was right and got rid of what was wrong. This obedience gave great confidence to him and the people, and he said in verse 7, “Because we have sought the LORD our God, we have sought him, and he hath given us rest on every side. So they built and prospered.”
But there is another side to the adage-sometimes all the planning in the world can’t keep you from being overwhelmed. That is exactly what Asa faced in verse 11: “And Asa cried unto the LORD his God, and said, LORD, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power: help us, O LORD our God; for we rest on thee. . . .” A million-man army from Ethiopia was threatening Asa, and the best of fences could not hold back a million-man army. Can’t you almost hear the urgency in Asa’s prayer?
Planning can give you confidence in praying.
Now is the time to plan and prepare, and once you have done what you could, trust God with the unknown and unexpected. The best advice I could give about preparing is illustrated by King Asa-he planned before it seemed necessary, and he prayed when it seemed too late. Now if you will excuse me, I have some fences to build!