On Bended Knee

2 Chronicles 14:2-15 (New International Version) (for full passage)
Asa (pronounced: Aye-sah) King of Judah

8 Asa had an army of three hundred thousand men from Judah, equipped with large shields and with spears, and two hundred and eighty thousand from Benjamin, armed with small shields and with bows. All these were brave fighting men.
9 Zerah the Cushite marched out against them with a vast army (with an army of a thousand thousands or with an army of thousands upon thousands) and three hundred chariots, and came as far as Mareshah.

You don't need a calculator to know the odds are against Asa. To say he was outnumbered is an understatement! He's GONERS! The Cushite (or Ethiopians) had a HuGe army against their tiny 580 thousand men, and they had 300 chariots! Modern technology! But what determined the battle? What was the strategy? The tactic? Did they discover the Cushite's archiles heel? Because against the odds, Asa's army was victorious!

This is a frustrating passage for war fanatics- because the only matter mentioned, THE determining factor- was prayer.
11 Then Asa called to the LORD his God and said, "LORD, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this vast army. O LORD, you are our God; do not let man prevail against you." 12 The LORD struck down the Cushites before Asa and Judah.

Q: When did Asa say this prayer? How do you think you would have felt if you were told to say that prayer in the same position?

10 Asa went out to meet him, and they took up battle positions in the Valley of Zephathah near Mareshah.
11 Then Asa called to the LORD his God...

Picture the sight in King Asa's shoes!

Asa wasn't praying in his leisure time- He was at a CRISIS! A time when vital decisions needed to be made! Scout reports had to be read, tents prepared, army trained, food provisioned, strategies and army formations established... He was "busy- got a lot of work to do", he had "no time- I need to make important decisions, file important papers, meet the general to discuss our plans"... He FOUND time to pray. And we see later that his victory was secured through prayer. And it you read from the beginning on the passage, you'd see that Asa had always been a man of prayer, a man that "sought the Lord".

Prayer is simple, and yet so difficult. That's why we need to DISCIPLINE ourselves to pray. self-denial is involved! Why? Because most of time is already taken up with legitimate activities: work, studies, children, ministires, church, quiet time, sports... we must NOT surrender those times but when we DO have leisure time, let's be honest, we're more concerned about self-satisfaction -sleeping, watching tv, eating... than prayer.

We need to deny ourselves of legitimate things if we truly believe that prayer is powerful and it is really the determining factor of everything in our lives, in our church, in our society.

Is life getting harder? You need to make important decisions but there are so many things to consider? PRAY

Is your church not growing? PRAY! Or do you naively believe that holding rallies and games is what will help the church grow? [Psalm 127:1 Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain.] Unless you pray for God's blessings and direction, all attempts to grow the church will be in vain! It's God that makes the church grow. [Acts 2:47 ... And the LORD added to their number daily those who were being saved.]

Are you concerned with Malaysia's state of politics and social decay? If you "can't do anything", you're "only one person" let me assure you- you can pray!

But please, let it be sustained time in prayer.

Great spiritual warriors in the Bible and in Christian history have always been great prayer warriors as well- Daniel, Elijah, Jesus Christ, John Calvin, Martin Luther... Revivals are ALWAYS marked with a passion for prayer.

Do you sincerely believe that prayer is powerful?

Then start finding time to pray.

It requires denying ourselves of what is legitimate and good. It WILL be tiring- Jesus Christ in Gethsemane struggled in prayer till he sweat drops of blood. It IS humiliating- admitting we are not capable at all, that only with God can we do anything. It is God's COMMAND- 1 Thessalonians 5:17


It's such an irony to share my mulling on prayer because it's my personal struggle as well- I shake, quiver and despair faster than I get on my knees and pray. Sustained prayer? Unless I'm with a group of friends or set my mind on praying, I just end up falling asleep. But let's not give up. Let us deny ourselves, carry our cross daily, and follow Christ.

Just mi. mulling.