2 Chronicles 14:11 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.”

There are some interesting differences between the English and the Japanese translations from the Hebrew. Where the NIV says, “You help the powerless against the mighty,” the Japanese says, “You help the powerful and You help the powerless.” There are other differences as well, but the whole point of this verse is that Asa was very publicly depending on God. That’s a good thing to do! One of the most consistent messages of the Old Testament is that God is always the deciding factor in every conflict. For those who are submitted and obedient to Him, He brings victory, period. Right now the US faces the danger of war with North Korea, while still being at war against the Taliban and ISIS. In past wars, American presidents have not hesitated to call publicly on God, and to call the American people to pray. The current extreme”allergy” against any public declaration of faith is a very new phenomenon, and one at extreme variance from the attitudes and actions of those we call the Founding Fathers. The so-called Freedom From Religion Foundation has worked a great deal of evil in America, and it’s past time for America to return to its roots. The fundamental problem has been that too many of those who claimed faith haven’t stood on and lived out the faith they proclaimed. America currently faces many enemies, “foreign and domestic,” as the saying goes. The answer against every one is turning to God and listening obediently to Him. James puts it into a nutshell: “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7) I personally like the way the Japanese expresses that verse: “Submit yourselves to God. Then, resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” It does little good to try to resist the devil if you aren’t submitted to God first.

This of course applies to me. The more I recognize my dependence on God, the better He is able to act in and through me and my circumstances. We currently face many challenges. If I try to depend on myself, or even on what God has given me in the past, I will fall flat. If I rejoice in His grace, then His power will indeed be made perfect in my weakness. (2 Corinthians 12:9) I am not to fear “giants” of finances or culture or anything else, but know that my God is able to do anything, and He is even able to use me in the process.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the prayer meeting last night, where You opened my eyes to the reality that our plans for an elder-care facility are probably pretty minor compared to all that You want to do through this church. Help me be willing to change and grow however necessary, and help the church as a whole to do likewise, so that we may be and do all that You intend, on all levels, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!