King Asa – Kingdom-Focused Prayer

Why study the prayers of long-dead kings? According to Romans 15:4, “Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled” (Romans 15:4, NLT).

Hope is the joyous expectation that comes from a steady diet of intimacy with God and His Word. Hope for a powerful, dynamic prayer life comes from seeing and hearing how those around us and those who have gone before us have prayed. The prayers of the Bible have provided inspiration and help for millions of people over the years. Knowing that others have had their prayers answered encourages us in our own attempts to connect with God in a meaningful way.

For the next 8 months we’re going to examine how biblical kings prayed – David, Solomon, Hezekiah, Joash, Jehoshaphat – we’re going to find that as they walked with God in obedience and humility, God’s blessing and victory rested upon the kingdom. Ultimately, the prayers of only one perfect King give us the greatest hope of all – the prayers of Jesus, who even now lives to intercede for us.

The church has much to learn today about praying with royal authority. It is our hope that as we pray the prayers of biblical kings, God will ignite royal praying in us. We can learn to pray with authority, in humble submission to the true King. Peter tells us that we are a “royal priesthood.” Intercessory prayer is our task as priests, as we pray in the authority and name of King Jesus.

I’ve had the privilege of meeting and getting to know Dave & Kim Butts, the authors of this study. They founded Harvest Prayer Ministries and Dave serves as chairman of the National Prayer Committee. They are a delightful couple who love God, are passionate about prayer, and a lot of fun to be around.

King Asa: Kingdom-Focused Prayer

When you think of King Asa, from now on, I want you to remember that his prayer holds the key to overcoming in prayer. We’ll fill in these blanks a little later on.

I want to say a word about the book of Chronicles before we dive in. Chronicles is more than just historical annals; it is a divine editorial of the spiritual characteristics of the Davidic dynasty. This is why it focuses on the southern rather than the northern kingdom. Most of the kings failed to realize that apart from its true mission as a covenant nation called to bring others to Yahweh, Judah had no calling, no destiny, and no hope of becoming great on its own. Only what was done in accordance with God’s will had any lasting value. Chronicles concentrates on the kings who were concerned with maintaining the proper service of God and the times of spiritual reform. The temple in Jerusalem is the unifying theme of both First and Second Chronicles. The temple symbolically stood for God’s presence among His people and their high calling. It was the spiritual link between their past and future. Ezra wrote this book largely to remind the people of their true calling and God’s faithfulness in spite of their low circumstances.

Today’s teaching comes from 3 chapters in the Old Testament – 2 Chronicles 14, 15, and 16. You are welcome to turn there or not – I will refer to several verses along the way. Asa was the third king of the southern kingdom of Judah, following his father Abijah to the throne in 910 BC. To set our minds at the right time period in history, here are some other things going on in the world at the time – the Chinese were developing geometry and root multiplication; Greeks were creating geometric art designs; Chaldeans were using water-filled cubes to measure time, weight and length; Mediterraneans were dying fabric with purple snails and alum; Indo-Caucasians were producing iron and steel; Israelis were wearing caftans; aristocratic Assyrians were wearing wigs; Egyptians were growing poppies; Elijah was getting ready to defeat the prophets of Baal.

Anyway, back to Asa – he ruled for 41 years, a pious man who instituted several reforms to remove foreign gods and foreign religious practices from the land. He even removed his mother from political power. According to 2 Chronicles 14:2, “Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God.” His rule was marked by stability and spiritual revival in the nation. Asa’s name means “doctor” or “healing.”

As a young king, he immediately began a national cleansing from the sins of his predecessors. Idols were broken down and altars to pagan gods were destroyed. In addition to putting away evil, he also pointed the nation in the right direction. “He commanded Judah to seek the LORD, the God of their ancestors, and to obey his laws and commands.” (2 Chronicles 14:4). Because of his commitment to the Lord, the first ten years of his reign were peaceful. Verse six highlights a special gift to Asa from God – “the LORD gave him rest.” Not only did God give Asa rest, He extended it further than that. In verse 7 we see the spiritual temperature of the people and God’s response. “‘. . . The land is still ours, because we have sought the LORD our God; we sought him and he has given us rest on every side.’ So they built and prospered.”

Then came a great test of Asa’s faith. A massive army from Ethiopia came against Judah and its much smaller army. It is in the context of this invasion that we find Asa’s prayer in 2 Chronicles 14:11 – “LORD, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, LORD our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this vast army. LORD, you are our God; do not let mere mortals prevail against you.“

The result of this beautiful prayer expressing dependence upon God was an overwhelming victory for Judah over the forces of Ethiopia.

Following the victory, God sent a prophet named Azariah to remind Asa and the nation that this victory had come from the Lord. According to the Scriptures, Asa took courage at those words and led Judah in a renewed time of revival and commitment to the Lord. Listen to these glimpses from chapter 15, an amazing time of spiritual vitality and celebration for the nation – “They entered into a covenant to seek the LORD . . . with all their heart and soul . . . They took an oath to the LORD . . . All Judah rejoiced . . . because they had sworn it wholeheartedly . . . Asa’s heart was fully committed to the LORD all his life.“

Sounds like a man and a people after God’s heart, right? In verse 7 God told Asa and the entire nation to “be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.” God gave them a stunning promise in verse 2 – “The LORD is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you.” Sobering, isn’t it? Well, although Asa started well, sadly he did not finish well, and as the leader went, so went the people.

After thirty-five years as king, another crisis arose with the northern kingdom of Israel. Baasha, king of Israel, began to make preparations for war against Asa. Instead of relying upon the Lord as he had done in the past, Asa turned to his own plans and schemes. He took money from the temple and used it to encourage the king of Syria to attack the Israelites. It was a brilliant move that caught Baasha off guard and made him abandon his intended war against Judah.

However, Asa’s strategy was not what the Lord had intended. God sent the prophet Hanani to Asa to deliver a rebuke for his lack of trust. In other situations, Asa had turned to the Lord for help. This time, in sharp contrast, he had trusted in his own wisdom and plans.

There is a great lesson here. So many times when we rely on ourselves and our own resources, things seem to go well for a season. But things are not well when we have stopped hoping in God and started hoping in what man can do. We miss tremendous blessings and we bring unnecessary hardship on ourselves. Listen to the blessing Asa missed in 2 Chronicles 16:7 – “Because you relied on the king of Aram and not on the LORD your God, the army of the king of Aram has escaped from your hand.” God would not only have protected Asa from Baasha and Israel, he would have given the entire Syrian army into the hands of Asa. But Asa threw it away by trusting in money and intrigue instead of God.

Asa compounded the problem by his response to the prophet’s words. Instead of repenting, he got angry and threw Hanani into prison. Lack of repentance always leads to more sin and difficulty. Several years later, Asa developed a serious disease of the feet. His heart now set against trusting God, he turned only to physicians for help. He died from the disease, with these latter lapses of faith marring the legacy of this godly king of Judah.

Let’s back up and look at Asa’s very godly prayer, and learn not only from the mistakes he made in the latter part of his life, but let’s also learn from what Asa did that was right. ASA DID . . . we’re going to learn how to, too! Let’s dissect Asa’s prayer phrase by phrase.

The Royal Requests

1. “LORD, there is no one like you . . .”
   1. Asa gave recognition to the Lord as the only God. Amazingly, in the face of battle, Asa did not fail to focus on who God is. Isaiah 45:22 says, “Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.” Such acknowledgment lines up exactly with Jesus’ teaching on the Lord’s Prayer: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name” (Matthew 6:9). In an age of plurality of gods, Asa’s prayer acknowledged the One True God. That’s the first “A” in your handout – Acknowledge.

• “. . . to help the powerless against the mighty.”
  • Asa recognized that God is able. He went to battle against the Ethiopians totally overwhelmed, far outnumbered, and in the natural, headed for sure defeat. Rather than rally his troops around false courage, he declared his powerlessness before God and his men. It takes humility to admit that we are powerless. It is critical in prayer that we acknowledge our own inadequacies and our dependence upon God. Hebrews 5:7 tells us that Jesus “offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.” That’s the “S” in your handout – Submit. Matthew Henry says of this verse, “Christ has left us an example that we should learn humble obedience to the will of God, by all our afflictions. We need affliction, to teach us submission. His obedience in our nature encourages our attempts to obey, and for us to expect support and comfort under all the temptations and sufferings to which we are exposed. Being made perfect for this great work, he is become the Author of eternal salvation to all that obey him. But are we of that number?” Like Asa, we are going to face enemies that are “mighty,” whether it is a personal sin issue we are dealing with, or family members who are resistant to the gospel, or a huge stronghold of the enemy, such as abortion. We will often find ourselves feeling overpowered as we struggle against what seems to be mighty. Like the ten faithless spies who went into the land of Canaan (Numbers 13:31-33), we see giants in the land, and we picture ourselves as little grasshoppers. Asa’s prayer shows us the importance of focusing on God Almighty, not the seemingly mighty opposition arrayed against us. “Not by might, not by power, but by my Spirit” (Zechariah 4:6).

• “Help us, LORD our God . . .”
  • Asa’s first response to the impending crisis was to turn to God for help. The Psalmist writes in Psalm 60:11-12, “Give us aid against the enemy, for the help of man is worthless. With God we will gain the victory, and he will trample down our enemies”. And in Psalm 79, “Help us, O God our Savior, for the glory of your name; deliver us and forgive our sins for your name’s sake”. In Hebrews 4:16 we are encouraged, “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need”. That’s the second “A” in your handout – Ask. It doesn’t have to be long or flowery. Hebrews 4:16 cheers us on – “Let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.” Another observation from Matthew Henry – “Though the infirmities of Christians are many and great, so that they would be overpowered if left to themselves, yet the Holy Spirit supports them. The Spirit, as an enlightening Spirit, teaches us what to pray for; as a sanctifying Spirit, works and stirs up praying graces; as a comforting Spirit, silences our fears, and helps us over all discouragements. The Holy Spirit is the spring of all desires toward God, which are often more than words can utter.” Did you hear that? Let me read part of that again. The Spirit, as an enlightening Spirit, teaches us what to pray for; as a sanctifying Spirit, works and stirs up praying graces; as a comforting Spirit, silences our fears, and helps us over all discouragements. We need to remind ourselves that the Lord is Immanuel, God with us. He is Christ in us, the hope of glory! The Holy Spirit lives in us. Psalm 46:1 says that “God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.” One of the best prayers is “Help, Lord!” Just ask.

• “. . . for we rely on you . . .”
  • Asa recognized that the nation’s survival depended entirely upon God and not upon himself. That’s the first “D” in your handout – Depend on God and God alone. In 2 Corinthians 12:9 Paul wrote, “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” The first step in depending on God is recognizing that it is precisely in the areas of our weaknesses that God’s power works in and through us. An essential part of our prayer life is confessing that apart from God we are unable to do what He calls us to do. Jesus taught the same principle in John 15:5: “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” The prayer of dependence is one that honors God and acknowledges His power. It is the deep-seated desire to “stay attached” to the vine!

• “. . . and in your name we have come against this vast army.”
  • When Asa prayed in God’s name, he declared that he was coming to do battle in the authority of God. That’s the “I’ in your handout – In God’s Name. He was not going to do this in his own strength. In the Bible, the name of someone always means something significant. Proverbs 18:10 says that “The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.”
  • Acknowledgment of God’s name is an acknowledgment of His authority and power and is a key element in any effective prayer. As Christians, we pray in the name of Jesus. That’s not just a nice way of closing our prayers. Rather, it is bringing the power and authority of Jesus into our request and situation. We have no power before God except through the name of Jesus. It is not the size of the army or the opposition that matters. In our prayer life it is not the obstacles we face that we must look at. It is the powerful name of Jesus. Psalm 44:5 in The Message says, “With your help we’ll wipe out our enemies, in your name we’ll stomp them to dust.”

• “LORD, you are our God; do not let mere mortals prevail against you.”
  • This is a wonderful example of a God-centered, kingdom-focused prayer. Asa’s prayer ultimately is a concern for God’s honor and glory. His prayer starts and ends with focusing on who God is. Psalm 96:3 says, “Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples.” This is the final “D” in your handout – Declare God’s glory. Psalm 139:5 says that God hems us in behind and before– we can hem our prayers in with declarations of who He is. Psalm 44:8 in The Message says, “All day we parade God’s praise—we thank you by name over and over.”

Kingdom Focus

We must learn to pray God-centered, kingdom-focused prayers. When we pray, are we more concerned with our needs or God’s purposes? How can we pray when we face seemingly impossible situations in our lives? Perhaps you are facing an impossible situation right now. Maybe you or a loved one have received a grim medical diagnosis. Maybe there’s a painfully broken relationship in your life. Maybe you’re struggling to persevere in a prayer of salvation for someone. Maybe you’re facing some kind of crisis. What is your first response? Are you trying to overcome this problem in your own strength? On what or whom are you depending? What would it take to lay it down at the feet of Jesus, who says to you, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God.” (Mark 10:27, NLT)?

What about national issues of morality and ethics? What about societal strongholds that seem impossible to overcome? If we look at these giants in the land, we’ll only feel like grasshoppers and in essence give up on the battle before we’ve even begun. God fights for us! It is His glory and reputation we are concerned about, not our own. We can come before Him with confidence. “Oh God, do not let man prevail against You and Your standards and Your holy Word.” Psalm 9:19-20 says, “Arise, O LORD, let not man triumph; let the nations be judged in your presence. Strike them with terror, O LORD; let the nations know they are but men”. The greatest prayers of the Bible have been passionately concerned for the glory and reputation of God. To pray like the king is to pray God-centered, kingdom-focused prayers.

King Asa’s courageous response to and wholehearted acceptance of the Word of the Lord shows us something else very important. When a leader prays a powerful prayer of authority based on the Lord’s will, it prompts acts of obedience from those who are following. God will then move to bring about victory in lives and situations, along with words of encouragement and instruction. As I look around this room, I see leaders of families and groups, I see people of influence.

When Asa and the nation heard the Word of the Lord, they responded with enthusiastic acceptance. They had just experienced a victory from the hand of the Lord. Now their hearts were set upon seeking God and experiencing the joy and peace of His presence in their midst. It was a significant time of spiritual revival in the nation – “they sought God eagerly”. Isn’t this what we, God’s people, desire today? What would happen today if everyone in this congregation decided to seek God eagerly? Prayer is the starting place.

Making It Our Own

Lord, teach us to pray. Teach us to rely on You. Whatever obstacles or enemies we face, we come against them in Your powerful name. Do not let our lack of faith or our weakness bring shame to Your name. Rise up, O God, and make Your name known among the peoples. Revive Your church in our day. May we be a people who seek You eagerly.