start strong, finish strong

One of my favorite verses is 2 Chronicles 16:9.
“For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.”

As I began my study on Asa, king of Judah, the person to whom those words were spoken, I was reminded of a book I read a couple years ago. Father and son, doctors Kenneth and Tyler Cooper, wrote the book. Its title is Start STRONG, Finish STRONG.

As I thought about that book, and the story leading up to that verse, I realized the importance of starting and finishing our lives strong—SPIRITUALLY STRONG.

King Asa was the first of Judah’s kings who did what was right in the eyes of the Lord (2 Chronicles 14:2, 1 Kings 15:11). He began his 41-year reign STRONG. But, unfortunately, he didn’t finish as strong as he began.

When he became king, He removed the prostitutes from the land and got rid of all the idols made by his forefathers. He even removed his grandmother from her position as queen mother, because she had made an obscene idol (1 Kings 15:12-13). He brought all of the holy things back into the house of the Lord. And He commanded all of Judah to seek the LORD God, and to obey His law (2 Chronicles 14:4).

So God blessed Judah with peace. The land was quiet for 10 years. But then an Ethiopian army of a million men and 300 chariots came out to do battle with Judah, whose army was only about half that size.

Asa didn’t seem concerned at all. The Bible says Asa prepared his men for battle, and then he cried out to the LORD his God and said, “LORD, it is nothing for You to help, whether with many or with those who have no power; help us, O LORD our God, for we rest on You, and in Your name we go against this multitude. O LORD, You are our God; do not let man prevail against You!” (2 Chronicles 14:11).

So the Lord struck the Ethiopians and they fled. The spoils of Judah’s victory were immense! The Bible says they carried off livestock, sheep, and camels in abundance. Later they sacrificed some of those animals to the Lord: 700 bulls and 7000 sheep (15:11)!

Asa and all of Judah honored the Lord God, and God blessed them with peace “all around” (2 Chronicles 15:15). There were no more wars until the 36th year of Asa’s reign (15:19). But then something happened. In the last 6 years of Asa’s life, he had one lapse in good judgment, after another.

First, when faced with another military conflict, he made a treaty with a pagan king, rather than trusting God. Then, when Hanani the prophet confronted him about it, he became angry and put him in prison.

“And at that time Hanani the (prophet) came to Asa king of Judah, and said to him: ‘Because you have relied on the king of Syria, and have not relied on the LORD your God, therefore the army of the king of Syria has escaped from your hand. Were the Ethiopians…not a huge army with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet, because you relied on the LORD, He delivered them into your hand. For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. In this you have done foolishly; therefore from now on you shall have wars.’ Then Asa was angry with the (prophet), and put him in prison, for he was enraged at him because of this. And Asa oppressed some of the people at that time” (16:7-10).

And then, just a few years before Asa died, his feet became diseased. Some think it may have been a severe case of gangrene. “Yet in his disease,” the Bible says, “he did not seek the Lord, but the physicians” (16:12).

So, how does all of this apply to us?

1. We can pray for those who have been faithfully serving the Lord for many years. We can ask God to bless, encourage and strengthen them. Especially knowing that we are never far from sin. We can praise God for their example of starting and continuing strong. And we can ask God to enable them to finish strong.

2. We can pray for more strong starters to help carry the load.

3. We can continue strong in our prayers for the lost—for our families, friends and acquaintances.  Because we know our God is a saving God, and He has called us to pray (1 Timothy 2:1-7).

4. We can pray for each other, that we might remain fully committed to God; that we would rely on Him alone to strengthen us for the area of ministry in which He places us. That we might start and finish strong.

5. We can praise the Lord that even though we often fail, He remains faithful. Even though Asa sinned by not trusting God, the people honored him at his death. And God honored him for generations to come. In both biblical accounts of his reign as Judah’s king, it says, “Asa’s heart was fully committed to the Lord all his life” (2 Chronicles 15:17, 1 Kings 15:14).

“But you, be strong and do not let your hands be weak,
for your work shall be rewarded!”
2 Chronicles 15:7

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