We are You

A tiny tidbit caught my attention the other night... Look at Asa's prayer below:

"Then Asa called to the Lord his God and said, 'Lord, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, O Lord our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this vast army. O Lord, you are our God; do not let man prevail against you.'" 2 Chronicles 14:11 (NIV)

It was the tiny pronoun in the last sentence that struck me. Asa calls on God and asks for his help in battle and in strength. And yet, his last request comes just a breath after declaring his devotion to the Lord. And after affirming His commitment to God, he asks, "let no man prevail against you."

When I first read this, I thought that, perhaps, the idea was "Hey, God, you are going to help us, so don't fail and make yourself look bad." BUT, I think there's more to it than that. I see it this way: Asa's commitment to the Lord is his declaration of unity with God and with His purposes. Is it not true that our metaphor for our own relationship to Christ is marriage? And does the Bible not make it perfectly clear that, in marriage, we are joined as one in unity? With those things in mind, I believe Asa is saying, "You are our God, and we are Yours. We hitch ourselves to you!" In other words, we are one with You.

His next request, then, is not only perfectly logical, but also lovely in its commitment to their unity with God: "Let no man prevail against you." I read this to say, "If we fail, You fail." This isn't said because Asa expects God to fail; quite the opposite. I think Asa is just emphasizing their commitment to the Lord - tying his heart, his army & his success to Him.

Of course, I cannot know Asa's true intent, and this is all conjecture...but I love the example. I am Him, and that helps me believe, just a little bit more, that He is for me, and will never let me fall!