Many people argue that the Old Testament was not written to us, so while we might read it as an informative history, it really has no meaning or purpose for us today. Nothing could be further from the truth, however. The Old Testament may not have been written to us directly, but it is meant to teach us, regardless. It contain principals to guide us in any situation, and examples of these principals in action. And since God never changes, His principals never change either. Those guiding principals that were true in the Old Testament are still true today. The Bible says: "For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope." (Romans 15:4)

Our verse today was written to Asa, a king of Judah. At the time, the kingdom was without their true God, and they were in great turmoil, as were the surrounding nations. In fact, Scripture tells us there was no peace for anyone coming in or going out, and all the nations and cities were constantly destroying each other. But Judah turned to the one true Lord, and found Him, and in Him, they found their answer. (2 Chron. 15:1-6)

We often face times of great turmoil in our own lives, times when there is no peace to be found anywhere. Maybe it's a very difficult situation with our job. Maybe we've been unfairly slandered and our reputation and credibility is now in tatters. Maybe it's a marriage that's going down the drain. Maybe it's someone we thought was a friend who turned around and stabbed us in the back. Maybe it's a rebellious child, or a prolonged illness, or extreme financial difficulties, or the unexpected death of a loved one.

There are dozens and dozens of scenarios that can throw us into turmoil, where we have no peace and we just want to throw in the towel and say, "That's it, I quit!" It may seem like it's not worth the trouble, like we're trying our best and not seeing any results. Giving up is easy - much easier than to keep on keeping on. It takes great resolution and tremendous energy to persevere in the face of turmoil.

Today's verse wasn't just written to King Asa - it's a principal for us to live by as well. When faced with great turmoil, we need to stand strong, and not give up, with the asssurance that our work will be rewarded in due time. We don't always know the reason for our turmoil, or what purpose God has for allowing it. But we can be certain of this: He sees our difficulties, and our faithfulness or lack thereof.

When we feel like quitting, when we want to just give up, we need to seek God, who will give us the strength to keep on. We need to have the faith and and wisdom to keep on doing the right thing. God knows what we're fighting, and whether or not we ever see rewards here and now, He himself will reward our faithfulness in due time.

By the way, this principal is repeated in the New Testament, when James wrote:

"And let us not be weary in well doing:
for in due season we shall reap, if we
faint not." (Galatians 6:9)

It's hard to wait for that "due season". We live in a microwave world, where everything is instant. We want answers now, we want help now, we want relief NOW! But we have the promise of the Almighty God, our Creator, and the author and finisher of our faith, that we shall reap in due season, if we just hang in there. DON'T GIVE UP!