“But as for you, be strong and courageous, for your work will be rewarded.”

Asa was a king in Judah, and the Bible tells us that he “did what was pleasing and good in the sight of the LORD his God,” (2 Chronicles 14:2). He removed all the altars and shrines of the foreign gods that were in the land, and he called the people to worship the true God and obey His commands. Azariah encouraged him with the words of our verse for today. They are a prophetic message that reaches out beyond the time of Asa to our own time: the work of the people of God who remain strong and courageous will be rewarded.

We must be strong in our work because, as in the days of Asa, there are now many other religions in the world. Although the number of Christians adds up to somewhere near 2.4 billion, there are still 5.6 billion more people who have not turned to Christ. The outreach and cultural impact of the religions of these people stand as a continuous challenge. The degree of challenge depends upon where you live in the world, but the challenge is something every Christian must face. We should remain as strong as Asa did, so that we won’t shrink back from our work and become vulnerable to the influence of these religions.

We must also be courageous in our work, because the influence of the many religions in the world is not always peaceful. Many studies and reports have shown that Christianity is the most persecuted religion in the world today. The challenge many Christians face goes beyond the conversion efforts and cultural impact of other religions, to full-fledged oppression and persecution. Many Christians lose their lives each year and many more have been displaced from their homes.

The good news, as Azariah prophesied, is that our work will be rewarded if we remain strong and courageous. And the Apostle Paul has told us that any troubles we face in our work produces for us “a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!” (2 Corinthians 4:17).

As we work to bring more people into the kingdom of the One true God, we may encounter opposition and trouble of many kinds. The Bible assures us that we will not endure these struggles in vain. Our service to God may even lead to persecution and death, but the Bible assures us that it will not go unrewarded.