A Strong Finish Matters As Much As A Strong Start, If Not Much More
BRD REFLECTION 2025
2 Chronicles 14; 2 Chronicles 15 and Psalm 89:1-18 (NIV)
(Richard Thong from Discipleship and Nurture Ministry)
READ:
2 Chronicles 14; 2 Chronicles 15 (NIV)
OBSERVE:
I will focus my devotion on 2 Chronicles 14 & 15.
Asa was a descendant of David and the third king of the southern kingdom of Judah. “Asa did what was good and right in the sight of the Lord his God” (2 Chronicles 14:2); such as
- removing the foreign altars and high places, tore down the sacred pillars (2 Chronicles 14:3)
- commanding Judah to seek the Lord God of their fathers and to observe His law and the commands( 2 Chronicles 14:4)
In 2 Chronicles 14:9-11, Zerah the Ethiopian came out against Judah with an army of over a million soldiers and 300 chariots. Asa cried out to the Lord, trusting the God of his fathers to deliver him from the overwhelming enemy forces.
“So the Lord routed the Ethiopians before Asa and before Judah, and the Ethiopians fled …. for they were shattered before the Lord and before His army. ( 2 Chronicles 14:12-13)
“And there was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa’s reign.” ( 2 Chronicles 15:19)
2 Chronicles 14 & 15 gave a good account of King Asa’s first 35 years of his reign, when “the heart of Asa was wholly true to the Lord all his days” (1 Kings 15:14 ESV), when he trusted God and initiated a series of religious reforms aimed at eradicating idolatry from Judah. Sadly, we read in chapter 16, in Asa’s 36th year of reign, in his secondary military campaign, Asa sought the aid of Syrians instead of trusting God and seeking God’s help to deliver him again like the victory God granted to him in his first military campaign with the Ethiopian army. Asa chose to trust in his alliance with the king of Aram to achieve victory without seeking God’s will. He even imprisoned God’s prophet Hanani for rebuking him.
APPLY:
King Asa’s story reminds me that a strong finish matters as much as a strong start ( if not much more) in my spiritual journey with the Lord.
While this is true, I must also confess that very often I get caught up in the process of problem solving and forget to first seek God for help or guidance. I must therefore develop a strong relationship with God, with regular prayers, thanksgiving and meditation as part of my daily activities.
DO:
I will keep a record of God’s faithfulness, reflect on past answered prayers, blessings and actively engage in prayers, bible reading, worship and meetings with fellow Christians to develop a deepening and consistent relationship with God.
PRAY:
Father God, thank You for Your faithfulness and mercy. I pray for the Holy Spirit to continue to guide and lead me as I seek to stay faithful in my daily walk with You. Please help me to finish the course and keep the faith. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen!
