Asa Lean on Di Lord

Dust dey rise for far horizon. Chariots. Hundreds of dem. For dia back, one army wey big so tey e be like say e no get end. And di one wey stand for di valley, dey face all of dem, na one king wey get only one plan. To pray.

Long time after Solomon, di kingdom don divide into two. For south na Judah, with Jerusalem as im capital. Im new king na Asa, Solomon great-grandson. When Asa enter di throne, di land don full with other gods. Altars for foreign gods. Sacred stones. Wooden poles for di goddess Asherah. Asa scatter dem. E remove di shrines from di towns of Judah. And e command di people make dem seek Di Lord, di God of dia papa-papa dem, and keep im law. For ten years di land quiet. No war. And Asa use di peace well.

Make we build dese towns, Asa tell di people, and put wall round dem, with towers and gates and iron bars. Di land still be our own, because we don seek Di Lord our God. We seek am, and e don give us rest for every side. So dem build, and dem prosper. Asa still train army. Men of Judah with big shield and spear. Men of Benjamin with small shield and bow. Brave fighters. But Asa dey about to learn say na no wall and soldiers be im real strength.

One day, news come from south. Zerah di Cushite dey come, with one very big army, one million men, na so di Bible talk, and three hundred chariots. Dem reach Mareshah, one town for di low hills of Judah. Asa march go out to meet dem, and di two armies take position for di valley of Zephathah, near Mareshah. Asa look across di valley. Di other army pass im own for number. Im walls dey for im back, but dem no go help am here. So, before even one arrow fly, Asa cry out to Di Lord im God.

Lord, e pray, nobody dey apart from you wey fit help, between di strong and di people wey no get strength. Help us, O Lord our God, because na you we dey lean on, and na for your name we come face dis big crowd. O Lord, na you be our God. No let ordinary man win against you. Listen to dat prayer. Asa no talk say, we strong reach. E no even talk say, abeg make us strong. E talk say, na we be di people wey no get strength, and e no hard you at all to help. And then e put God honour for di line. No let ordinary people win against you. And Di Lord strike di Cushites down for Asa and Judah front, and dem run. Asa and im army pursue dem reach Gerar. Di people wey come attack scatter. Di fear of Di Lord fall on top di towns wey surround Gerar, and Judah go back house safe, with sheep and camels and plenty plenty things wey dem collect.

Mareshah, where di armies meet, na real place wey you fit visit. Today dem dey call am Tel Maresha, for di low hills between di mountains of Judea and di flat land near di sea. Under am and di town wey dey near am, Bet Guvrin, hundreds of caves dey wey people carve inside di soft chalk stone for many hundred years. For two thousand and fourteen, UNESCO list dese caves as World Heritage Site.

Asa lean on Di Lord. You go find dis story for Second Chronicles, chapter fourteen. One king wey use years of peace to seek God, and wey, when e face army wey e no fit ever defeat, pray: na you we dey lean on. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. When something big pass you, how you fit lean on God, as Asa do?