Get Too It

“Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded. And when Asa heard these words, and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and put away the abominable idols out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and out of the cities which he had taken from mount Ephraim, and renewed the altar of the LORD, that was before the porch of the LORD.” (2Ch 15:7-8 AV)

I couldn’t help but notice the encouragement voiced by the prophet.  Judah and Benjamin allowed idols to seep into their culture.  It wasn’t pervasive.  It had come to Judah by way of Israel and as a threat to their spiritual welfare, was manageable.  The prophet uses the example of Israel in that she was far more idolatrous and had been for quite some time.  Yet, when they repented, God rescued and blessed them.  So, the encouragement here is for the king to take care of a small matter before it got really big.  Even though the prophet’s words did come with a warning, the warning was balanced with encouragement.  What I took away from this is our current situation in the world is not beyond God’s ability to do something.  It may seem large to most.  Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think our world would be ok with legalized murder and sodomy.  Not only legal but celebrated.  We live in a twisted world where that which is normal is termed as radical and that which is radical is thought of as normal.  If the rapture hasn’t happened yet, that means things are not as bad as they can and will get.  There is always something God can do.

I enjoy watching some of those wilderness reality shows.  I know, much of what you see is not as it might appear.  We watch these people surviving in adverse conditions and forget there is a filming crew behind the camera that doesn’t suffer as their subjects.  Yesterday, I was watching an episode of Mountain Men.  These men live in the wilderness and live off the land.  Some are in extreme wilderness conditions; others have some modern helps like fuel, modern equipment, etc.  One of the men had a small crab boat moored offshore.  Overnight, a severe storm came through had rolled that boat onto shore.  The boat was about twenty-five feet long with twin outboard motors.  Not a light boat by any imagination.  The cabin, electronics, and navigation were all crushed by the roll.  It lay upright, but a good forty feet from the water.  And it lay horizontal to the water’s edge.  He did not have any heavy equipment to right it and put it back in the water.  He was by himself.  One would think it a hopeless cause.  But this fella did not give up.  He used a system of jacks can buoys to turn the boat ninety degrees.  It was incredible.  The episode ended without showing the audience how he eventually would get it back in the water.  I am sure that he did.  I would have looked at the situation and thought it was too far gone to reclaim that boat.  But not this fella.  He put his arm to the grinding stone and figured out a way to make it happen.  This is what Asa did!

Sometimes, we are defeated before we even start.  The prophet instructs this king of a problem and a challenge.  Yet, he encourages.  He pumps the king up to motivate him to tackle an issue before it gets too big to overcome.  He gives a promise.  If the king will make an effort to overcome what lies before him, then God will bless that work and make it come to pass.  Perhaps we see a situation as insurmountable.  Maybe we see our situation as too big that even God cannot handle it.  It is like eating an elephant.  One bite at a time.  If we would simply apply ourselves, then God promises victory.  No sense in letting something get out of hand.  Get to it when you are aware of it.  Not when it screams for attention.  I am encouraged by the words of the prophet.  I appreciate his confidence in the LORD.  My takeaway is, if God believes in me, then I should attempt to do that which God asks and it will come to pass!