Rest and Fortify

I am in the process of journaling my way slowly through the Bible, and right now I am about halfway through book of 2 Chronicles. My studies through this book in the past have focused primarily on the “good king, bad king,” dynamic of this period in Israel’s history, but as I read through the first few verses of king Asa’s reign, I noticed something in the initial list of his accomplishments:

“And he built fenced cities in Judah: for the land had rest, and he had no war in those years; because the Lord had given him rest. Therefore he said unto Judah, Let us build these cities, and make about them walls, and towers, gates, and bars, while the land is yet before us; because we have sought the Lord our God, we have sought Him, and He hath given us rest on every side. So they built and prospered.” (14:6-7)

The beginning of Asa’s reign was marked by a period of peace. Asa began well, leading the people in a spiritual revival, clearing out the idols and places of false worship, and commanding the people to seek the Lord. The people did, and as the small nation sought the Lord, He gave them rest from their enemies.

But Asa recognized two important things: the time of rest was, from the Lord, and also that it was not just a blessing, but also an opportunity.

Instead of just taking it easy and enjoying this season of peace, he looked ahead to what his nation would need in the future. He fortified cities, adding walls, towers, gates, and bars—not because he feared the surrounding nations, but because he saw that the time of peace gave him a chance to fortify without the threat of enemy attack. He had time to plan, time to build, time to reenforce and prepare. And he didn’t just prepare his cities, either:

“And Asa had an army of men that bare targets and spears, out of Judah three hundred thousand; and out of Benjamin, that bare shields and drew bows, two hundred and fourscore thousand: all these were mighty men of valour.” (v.8)

Despite being at peace with the nations around him, Asa prepared his army. When an enemy did eventually arise, the army was ready to fight, though Asa’s dependance was not on the army, but on the Lord. Notice how the battle went:

“So the Lord smote the Ethiopians before Asa, and before Judah; and the Ethiopians fled. And Asa and the people that were with him pursued them unto Gerar: and the Ethiopians were overthrown, that they could not recover themselves; for they were destroyed before the Lord, and before His host; and they carried away very much spoil.” (vv.12-13)

This is a real account of a literal battle that occurred at a specific point in history. And yet, I think it also serves as a picture of how life in Christ works. God often gives us seasons of rest—when things seem to be going ok, or when we feel closer to the Lord, or have some relief from something that has distressed us. It is good and right to rest—we are told in this passage that God gave them rest from their enemies—but rest does not necessarily mean inaction. There is a sense in which spiritual “rest” or ease is given in which to fortify, to strengthen and prepare for the battle we know will eventually come.

So, let’s apply that to daily life. Suppose you have one of those days when everything seems to be going just right. Or perhaps something on your schedule gets cancelled, or a snowstorm gives you an unexpected but much-needed day off. (Snow days are my favorite!)

Whatever defines a “good day” for you, it can be easy to rejoice—but then take our ease and squander the blessing by using it selfishly or lazily.

I would be the first to agree that physical rest is important. But when we have a bit of extra energy, or when we have a sudden bit of peace in the whirlwind of our daily lives, the temptation is to let ourselves coast spiritually, instead of taking the opportunity to fortify our relationship with God.

Do you have extra energy? Thank God for it, rejoice in the blessing of it, but ask God to show you what He wants you to use it for.

Do you have some extra time in your day? Curl up with your Bible (or Bible app) and spend a few minutes just reading—not to check a box or meet a goal, but just to enjoy drinking in God’s Word in His presence.

Have some relief from a chronic malady? Rejoice! Thank God for it! And look for a way to comfort or encourage someone else. Maybe God would have you pray for or reach out to someone else who is ill or in pain.

Have an extra day off, or a slower start to your day than you expected? Rejoice, thank God for the blessing, and use a bit of that time to fortify your relationship with Him by extra time in His presence, reading your Bible and praying.

These are just a few practical examples, but do you get the point? We should take our times of rest as from the Lord. We should rejoice in them, but then we should look to Him to see how He wants us to fortify and build up our defenses so we can meet the next battle looking to Him, and ready to do our part in resisting the enemy.

The interesting thing is, for the Christian, building our defenses might just mean spending a day on the couch with a blanket and a Bible, basking in the presence of God. It equally could mean studying, memorizing verses, or finding ways to reach out to others.

For me, one of the “fortifying” things in my life is having a set time to go out and try to share the gospel with people. As far out of my comfort zone as that is, I have found it ever so helpful in building up a habit of leaning on God, but also doing my part of obedience to Him.

Just like Asa, we need to learn to seek God, make the preparations He is calling us to make, and then go into battle, knowing that God is the One who will ultimately win the victory—but that He also wants us to join Him in battle, taking whatever steps of obedience even as He empowers us to see the battle through to the end.

Dear Reader, has God blessed you with a measure of rest today? How is the Holy Spirit calling you to use your moments of rest to fortify for the next battle?

“And Asa cried unto the Lord his God, and said, Lord, it is nothing with Thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power: help us, O Lord our God; for we rest on Thee, and in Thy name we go against this multitude. O Lord, Thou art our God; let no man prevail against Thee.”

2 Chronicles 14:11