Finishing the Race

"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize?  Run in such a way as to get the prize." 1 Corinthians 9:24

I don't know about you, but when someone mentions running I feel an intense urge to change the subject.  I don't like running, never have.  To me it's exhausting and it hurts everything in me, and that's just after a run down the end of the driveway.  My sister has talked about signing me up for a marathon and I just have to laugh because I would not last very long at all.  You'd see me get maybe about a mile before quitting.  For those who can run, I'm extremely impressed and I have absolutely no problem cheering you on!

So when Paul mentions "running a race" several times in the New Testament, that fear begins to surge through me again.  It didn't take me long, though, to recognize that this is not necessarily a running race, but a race of faith.  And in 1 Corinthians 9:24 he talks about running in a way to win the prize, or how we need to discipline our body, mind, spirit, and soul to become stronger and help us endure the race of faith that lasts our whole life.  Even after understanding all of this, however, I still had a difficult time understanding what Paul was talking about until my Bible reading this morning.

Lately I've been reading through 2 Chronicles and recently came upon the story of Asa, King of Judah.  Asa is described, according to 2 Chronicles 15:17-19, like this: "Although he did not remove the high places from Israel, Asa's heart was fully committed to the Lord all his life.  He brought into the temple of God the silver and gold and the articles that he and his father had dedicated.  There was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa's reign."  Asa is described as a man who was committed to God and served Him.  Even one chapter earlier it describes a scene were the Cushite army is coming to attack Judah with a very large army.  And what does Asa do?  He called out to God and said, "Lord, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty.  Help us, Lord our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this vast army.  Lord, you are our God; do not let mere mortals prevail against you (2 Chronicles 14:11)."  And what does God do?  He strikes down the Cushites and they fall into Judah's hands.  Asa was a man of great faith!  Well, almost...

This morning I finished the story of Asa, and the ending didn't match up with the beginning and the middle.  You see, in 2 Chronicles 16 it talks about how, in the 36th year of Asa's reign, the army of Israel went up against Judah fortified Ramah, a city of Judah, so no one could leave or enter Asa's territory.  Now you'd think that a man who saw God strike a huge army before him would turn once more to His God, but it's at this point that Asa stumbles in his race and takes things into his own hands.  He sends lots of silver and gold to an ally of Israel, Aram, so that they will break their treaty with Israel and even attack their old friend.  The king of Aram agrees and it works out well for Judah, until a seer comes to Asa to give him this message from God: "Because you relied on the king of Aram and not on the Lord your God, the army of the king of Aram has escaped from your hand.  Were not the Cushites and Libyans a mighty army with great numbers of chariots and horsemen?  Yet when you relied on the Lord, he delivered them into your hand.  For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.  You have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war (2 Chronicles 16:7-9)."  Asa relied on his own strength and intelligence and while he solved one problem he created an even bigger one.  If God had sent this message to me I'd repent immediately, I would not want to go up against God.  But the once great man of faith, even when stricken with disease, "did not seek help from the Lord, but only from the physicians (2 Chronicles 16:12b)", and two years later Asa died without completing the race of faith.

Stories like Asa's show me that it's great to have faith in God and trust Him, but it's a continuing choice for the rest of our lives.  Now thankfully we have been covered by the blood of Christ for all of our sins, mistakes, and doubt.  And it's times like this where I'm so thankful for God's grace, for His amazing blessings even though I sometimes doubt or trip in my own race.  As long as we repent and ask for God's help to learn from our mistakes (because we can't do it in our own strength) so we may be more disciplined moving forward, seek Him so that we may find Him, and accept His love, grace, and forgiveness then we will quickly get back up and continue to run the race.  And I hope that someday, when I am facing the end of my time on earth, that I will be able to say as Paul did, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith (2 Timothy 4:7)."

May you successfully run to win your race of faith, turn to God for His strength in times of exhaustion and pain, and remember what a privilege it is to be running this race for Christ!