In 2 Chronicles 14, we read about Asa, king of Judah. Asa did “what was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God.” We learn that during his reign, Judah experienced ten years of peace and rest from their enemies. Asa took advantage of this peace to clean house in Judah. He removed pagan places of worship, built up the physical defenses of the cities, and invested in the military. 

After those ten years of peace, the Cushites came against Judah with an army of thousands. When this happened, Asa called out to the Lord, and the Lord struck down the Cushites. The Bible says that the Cushites were “crushed before the Lord and His forces.” 

This story got me thinking – like Judah, in our lives we go through times of peace, when things in our lives are going smoothly, and times of struggles, when the enemy attacks and overwhelms us. 

We know we can cry out to God in times of trouble, but how can we take advantage of the periods when life is going relatively good? This is an amazing opportunity to remove the junk in our lives and build up our defenses. Anything that takes the place of God or distracts you from Him – get rid of it! Build up your defense against temptation through reading God’s word and strengthen your spirit through prayer. Fellowship and build an army of family members you can lean on in times of need. Think of some other things, there’s tons!

As we all know, life has many ups and downs, but God is never-changing, and it’s just as important to worship Him in the times of peace as in the times of trouble, so don’t let it go to waste.