II Chronicles 16  After 35 years of being king of Judah, Asa faced another challenge. This time it came from Israel.  Baasha had taken the throne of Israel and was as evil as Jeroboam.  He made a strategic move against Judah, fortifying the city of Ramah.  This city would have been on the border area between Israel and Judah.. and not that far from Jerusalem... perhaps as close as 5 miles. 

This threat led Asa to seek help.. but this time he did not call out to the Lord as he had done when the Ethiopians had come.. this time Asa reached out to Aram, to Ben-hadad, the king of Aram who lived in Damascus. Asa sent silver and gold.. taken from the Temple of the Lord.. to make a covenant with Aram. The army of Ben-hadad went against Israel in the north, causing Baasha to leave Ramah alone. 

Asa ordered the people of Judah to go to Ramah and carry all the stones and timber that Baasha left behind and move it all to Geba and Mizpah.. two cities located between Jerusalem and Ramah. Seems like a very wise and strategic move. 

The problem was.. Asa did not consult the Lord.  A prophet, Hanani, came to Asa to confront him.. "Because you have relied on the king of Aram and have not relied on the Lord your God, therefore the army of the king of Aram has escaped out of your hand. Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubim an immense 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 move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His. You have acted foolishly in this. Indeed, from now on you will surely have wars." 

Asa was not happy with the Word from the Lord. He put Hanani in prison, he took his anger out on his own people, and when he was physically stricken with diseased feet.. he refused to seek the Lord for help. When Asa died, he was not buried in the tomb of his ancestors as was the usual tradition. Instead, he had prepared his own lavish resting place, filled with spices. 

Asa had started out "good and right".. but ended up all wrong.  What happened?  He took his eyes off of the Lord.  

Over and over again, the Word reminds us that we need to remain steadfast.. to keep abiding in the Lord.. to persevere.. and to overcome.  Each of the 7 letters to the churches recorded in the book of Revelations speaks to those who "overcome":

"To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God." (Rev. 2:7)

"He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death." (2:11)

"To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna and I will give him a white stone, and a new name.. " (2:17)

"And he who overcomes and he who keeps My deeds until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations."( 2:26)

"He who overcomes shall thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father, and before His angels." (3:5)

"He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write upon him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name." (3:12)

"He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne." (3:20)

Oh what glorious promises!

Father in heaven,  You are the God of peace who equips us with every good thing for doing Your will . You work in us what is pleasing to You, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  We cry to You for help in times of troubles.. that we might stand firm, that we might be overcomers.. steadfast, like Jesus.  You are faithful and You will do it, because that is what Your Word proclaims. May we cling to You, believing and keeping our eyes always fixed on You. May our hearts be completely Yours. We ask this in the Name of Jesus, our Great High Priest and King forever. Amen.