2 Chronicles 14:1, 6

“King Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God…He built up the fortified cities of Judah, since the land was at peace. No one was at war with him during those years, for the Lord gave him rest.”

The noted Christian apologist and writer, C. S. Lewis, says, “Everyone has noticed how hard it is to turn our thoughts to God when everything is going well with us…While what we call ‘our own life’ remains agreeable, we will not surrender it to Him. What, then, can God do in our interests but make ‘our own life’ less agreeable to us, and take away the plausible sources of false happiness?” I have faced this in my own life…when all is peaceful, I tend to lay down that armor of God that He has equipped me with and I become complacent to the point that I begin thinking that I have it all going just the way it should be. However, the truth of the matter is, I am putting the most important piece of the puzzle on the back burner. Instead, I need to change my way of thinking to acknowledge that the Good Lord has given me my “everything” and without Him I will find myself in utter despair, ultimately lacking peace. So what happens when life changes and the peace we were enjoying, which we thought was lasting and endless, seems to quickly vanish. We look up and suddenly it’s gone? Peace is such an amazing gift that we are blessed to receive, but sometimes we don’t use wisely the peaceful moments that we are given.

I’d like to use 2 Chronicles 14:1-6 as the backdrop for our time together. In these verses, King Asa finds himself in a time of great peace and tranquility. The land had been in a state of great turmoil and war had ravished the people under his father’s reign. Now, as Israel enters into the reign of King Asa, we find that he sets a new course for God’s people. The Scriptures tell us that at the time he was one of the best kings. He loved God. As he experienced peace in the land, it says that he “built up the walls and fortified the cities” in order to be prepared for any hardships that the future might bring. After successfully coming out of wartime and great peace in the land, wouldn’t it make more sense to give the people a rest from all of the pain that wartime brings to a nation? For you and me, there is much to learn and gain from this wise young king who used the peaceful times to prepare for the future battles that were sure to come.

In much the same way, we need to draw a comparison to what King Asa did in his time of peace and connect it to our own spiritual lives. We tend to think of building up walls to keep people out, but when it comes to building up our spiritual walls, this is just the opposite. I am talking about drawing near to God so when difficult times come you won’t become fearful; rather, you will be spiritually prepared and in a right and harmonious relationship with Christ.

Here is what I have found in my own personal life. When I am at peace with God I mustn’t take God’s presence for granted! You see, there was a grueling time in my life when I was faced with a serious health issue that came as a result of me messing up my liver through drug abuse during the days of my youth. Fortunately, at this time I was in a good place with Christ when it all came up years later down the road. The medication I was put on was so intense that I didn’t want to be around people, which was part of the side effects of the meds. Doctors even warned me about the possibility of suicidal thoughts! During this distress I had two choices, just get through it and let whatever happen just happen, or I could bring God into the picture and let Him be the source of my strength. It was here that this passage came alive to me. I found that if I was going to make it through this chapter in my life, I was going to have to dig deeper in my relationship with God. I needed to engage in the Word and in prayer daily. I needed to journal my daily episodes so I would never forget God’s mercy upon me through such a difficult time. I needed to reach out and call upon the leadership of the church to pray for me and anoint me with oil. I needed my family to come alongside me with encouragement and prayers. This was the “building up of the walls” that I share with you today. The Lord, our God became an incredible protector over me. Building up the walls in my life was not to keep God out, but it was to let the living God become a part of my life in every aspect you can imagine. He became my peace, my refuge, my healer, and my protector when I was weak. Thankfully, He saw me through to the very end and the battle was victoriously won. To this day, I continuously praise God for our triumph.

But I ask myself, “Would I have made it through this incredibly tough time had I been disconnected from God?” Going into that battle, I don’t believe I would’ve been able to sustain myself if I had not been prepared prior to that challenging season. It’s easy to get distracted from the Lord, especially in difficult times. Life isn’t always as gracious to us as we would want it to be. G.K. Chesterton brings light to this thought when he says, “Jesus promised his disciples three things – that they would be completely fearless, absurdly happy, and in constant trouble.”

During peaceful seasons, add to your spiritual arsenal diligent prayer, studying the Word, and encouraging those around you. Serve Christ through fasting and build Christian character through self-discipline. Then, when those tough times come you won’t feel guilty to call out to God. In fact, it is the Lord himself who tells us to call out to him and humble ourselves and he will hear us (2 Chronicles 7:14). When you find the enemy attacking, do what King Asa did – put God between yourself and the enemy and let Him fight the battle for you (2 Chronicles 14:11). Remember, you are fearless and ready for battle because you have prepared yourself in advance during times of peace.

There will come times in each of our lives when we will face great difficulties. Don’t run; face them head-on with God by your side. Here’s a great quote from Billy Graham to encourage you along the way, “The will of God will not take us where the grace of God cannot sustain us.” Now that is what I call PEACE…when you know He is right there beside you, sustaining you, guiding you, and loving you through it all. Build up the walls by inviting God to be with you.