SCRIPTURE: 2 Chronicles 14
OBSERVATION/APPLICATION:
Then Asa cried out to the Lord his God, “O Lord, no one but you can help the powerless against the mighty! Help us, O Lord our God, for we trust in you alone. It is in your name that we have come against this vast horde. O Lord, you are our God; do not let mere men prevail against you!” [2 Chronicles 14:11]
There is a simple principle that stands behind this passage: it is not the size of your problem, but the size of your God, that determines the outcome of the battle.
Asa and his armies were outnumbered, but with God on their side, they were victorious.
Asa demonstrates himself to God as one who wants to honour and serve God.
And his confidence is not in his strength or integrity, but in God’s strength and integrity!

As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind beggar was sitting beside the road. 36 When he heard the noise of a crowd going past, he asked what was happening. They told him that Jesus the Nazarene was going by. So he began shouting, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” “Be quiet!” the people in front yelled at him. But he only shouted louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” When Jesus heard him, he stopped and ordered that the man be brought to him. As the man came near, Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” “Lord,” he said, “I want to see!” And Jesus said, “All right, receive your sight! Your faith has healed you.” Instantly the man could see, and he followed Jesus, praising God. And all who saw it praised God, too. [Luke 18:35-43]
The blind man did not let his own blindness, or the crowds that were resisting him, keep him from trusting in Jesus for help.
His condition was serious, blindness was a big problem.
But somehow he sensed that Jesus, the son of David, was bigger and stronger, and able to help.
It was this confidence that helped him, the same confidence that helped Asa.

I do not believe that God stands waiting to grant our every request, like a heavenly bellboy at our beck and call, meeting our every demand.
But I do believe that God wants to help and bless us way more than we realize, more than we could ask or imagine.
He has our joy and blessing in mind – its why He created us and why He sent Jesus to rescue us.
But He wants us to trust Him, to look to Him, to cry out to Him in time of need, to keep on trusting Him when circumstances (like blindness or large armies) or people (like the crowds resisting the blind man) get in the way.
Think about the “problems” or “challenges” that you are dealing with; name them for what they are.
They are big, scary, impossible for us to overcome…
Then think about the “God” that we know from the bible, the God that is able to rescue, is ready to show mercy, is working behind the scenes to help and protect, to bless and use for blessing.
I know, some of you have tried this, and the problems remain; experience and the bible both suggest to me that even when it seems God is saying NO or NOT YET, that what He is working on is bigger and better than we can imagine.
But this takes trust, even when circumstances or people pressure us to doubt.

Which is greater, God or the challenges we experience?
Which will we “trust”, our problems or our God?

PRAYER:
Lord, today I choose t focus on You and Your greatness. As the saying goes, today I will not tell You about how great my problems are, I will rather tell my problems how great You are!