| II Chronicles 14:7 “Therefore he said unto Judah, Let us build these cities, and make about them walls, and towers, gates, and bars, while the land is yet before us; 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.” I am intrigued by the story of King Asa in II Chronicles 14. The Bible says that during his reign, “the kingdom was quiet before him.” What did Asa do? “He built fenced cities in Judah . . . and he had no war in those years; because the LORD had given him rest.” Asa ordered the people to build “walls, and towers, gates, and bars, while the land is yet before us.” Later in the chapter, Asa faced a million-man army from Ethiopia. What did Asa do? He “cried unto the LORD his God, and said, LORD, it is nothing with thee to help . . . help us, O LORD our God; for we rest on thee. . . .” Asa built while there was peace, and he rested while there was a battle!
If you will build when there is rest, you can rest when there are battles. All of us have days of battles and days of resting, but the best time to build is when you could be resting! The rest Asa had in battle was based upon the building he had done in rest.
From Asa, we learn more truths about preparation. First, look ahead. When you are discouraged about things in your life, look ahead. When you can’t see any troubles coming, look ahead. Don’t dwell on good times and become complacent; don’t dwell on bad times and become discouraged.
Second, plan ahead. When you are not sure where life will take you in the future, plan ahead. Asa wasn’t lulled into complacency because there were no enemies. Things were going great, and that is precisely why they built walls!
Third, work ahead. When you are not sure you are going to have the time to do what needs to be done tomorrow, start it today! There is less work to do later if you will start when it is not mandatory. I was the world’s worst student in college when it came to typing my term papers ahead of time. Don’t wait until crunch time to start; work ahead!
You may not have a kingdom in which to build walls, towers, gates, and bars, but you do have a family, a church, and a stewardship that God has entrusted to you. Take advantage of periods of rest to look ahead, plan ahead, and work ahead. Don’t fall into the trap of becoming complacent when things are going well. If you find yourself in the midst of a battle, don’t be discouraged. Build when you could rest, and you can rest when you must battle! |
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