Jesus Is Essential

We’ve heard a lot about essential things, essential workers, etc., over the past few months.  What really is essential?  Just the other day, I saw an advertisement for a t-shirt as I was scrolling through social media.  The message on the t-shirt was simple but so true!   “Jesus is Essential”  was the message displayed in simple letters on the t-shirt.

There are a lot things that we consider to be essential such as our spouses, family, homes, food, clothing, transportation, and the list could go on.   Honestly, though, Jesus is the only true “essential” for our lives.

2 Chronicles 14 tells the story of King Asa who did what was “right in the sight of the Lord his God.”  King Asa commanded Judah to seek the Lord God.   The Amplified version explains to seek the Lord God as “[to inquire of and for Him and seek Him as a vital necessity].”    A “vital necessity”- sounds “essential” to me.   King Asa, and the people of Judah did indeed seek God and they observed the laws God gave to Moses.   As a result of seeking God and realizing Him as essential to their lives, and obeying His commandments, their kingdom experienced rest-  their kingdom was undisturbed.  No one was at war with them during this time.

King Asa was quick to give credit to God for this time of rest.   King Asa says “we have sought Him [longing for Him with all our heart] and He has given us peace on every side.”  Oh, how we need the kind of peace that comes from longing for God with all our heart, from seeking Him as our “vital necessity”- peace that comes from realizing Jesus is essential in our lives.

Later on in 2 Chronicles 14, an Ethiopian army comes out against King Asa and the Kingdom of Judah.  King Asa then does something very important as he comes out in battle formation he “called out to the Lord his God, saying, “O Lord, there is no one besides You to help in the battle between the powerful and the weak; so help us, O Lord our God, for we trust in and rely on You, and in Your name we have come against this multitude. O Lord, You are our God; let not man prevail against You.”

He called out to God!   He placed his trust in, and relied on God as they come against the multitude of the Ethiopian army.   He begged God not to let evil prevail.   There is a lot for us to learn from this.   First, we have come up against a “multitude” the past few months as the Coronavirus has come against us, and as tension, hatred, and sin seems to have gripped our country.  This is a massive situation unlike anything we have ever faced.  What should we do?  I pray that we respond  by calling out to God to help us just like King Asa did.     Second, but not least, we need to recognize Jesus is essential to our lives.  Third, and certainly not least, we need to give credit to God, to worship Him and give Him glory and praise for how He is working through this time unlike anything we’ve ever experienced.   We need to thank Him for giving us rest and peace.   We need to thank Him that we can call out to Him when we are faced with a “multitude” that has come against us.

Call out to God- He desires us to call out to Him!   He’s waiting for us to call out to Him, to humble ourselves before Him, ask for forgiveness, and long for Him with all our hearts!

Jesus is essential!