How to Finish Strong by Lisa Burkhardt Worley, D.Min.
An Old Testament professor of mine once said, that the Old Testament boils down to one thought. “You do good, you get good. You do bad, you get bad.” And that seems to be the case with the Kings of Judah and Israel. If they honored God and tore down the altars to idols, they remained in the lead for many years. If they were bad kings, their reigns were cut short.
For me, the most troubling is to see a king do good most of his life, then falter at the end. King Asa of Judah is an example. “Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God. He removed the foreign altars and the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. He commanded Judah to seek the LORD, the God of their ancestors, and to obey his laws and commands.” Bravo, King Asa!
However, in the thirty-sixth year of his kingship, Asa made an alliance with the king of Aram rather than rely on God to protect Judah. A seer called him out on it, reminding him that when he trusted in the LORD, the LORD fought for him. He added, “For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.” The seer told King Asa that he had done a foolish thing and that, from now on, he would be at war. Asa was so mad by this prophetic word that he put the seer in prison, and began to oppress some of the people.
King Asa did not finish strong! Let’s learn from his mistake.
It is my personal prayer to run the race with integrity until the end. As we age, we can become more tired, stiff, and crotchety, but the good news is that we have the Holy Spirit living within us, and he can help us rise above any weariness or temptation to compromise the truth. God still searches the earth to strengthen those of us whose hearts are fully committed to Him! The key to finishing strong is to pray to finish strong and remain connected to His Word. Ask for the LORD to refresh you. We are weak, but He is strong, and we need His power to live a life that is pleasing to God.
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