8. (a) How did Asa respond when the Ethiopians were threatening Judah? (b) How can we imitate the way Asa depended on God?

⁸ Jehovah also proved that his hand was not too short in King Asa’s day. Many battles are mentioned in the Bible. But the largest army assembled was that of Zerah the Ethiopian. He had 1,000,000 experienced soldiers. The Ethiopians outnumbered Asa’s army nearly 2 to 1. You can imagine how easy it would have been for Asa to become anxious and fearful and to let his hands drop down in defeat. Instead, Asa immediately turned to Jehovah for help. From a military point of view, it would seem impossible to overcome the Ethiopians, yet “with God all things are possible.” (Matt. 19:26) God displayed his great power and “defeated the Ethiopians before Asa,” whose “heart was complete with Jehovah all his life.”​—2 Chron. 14:8-13; 1 Ki. 15:14.

15. What effect can positive words have on fellow Christians?

¹⁵ Following Asa’s stunning victory, the prophet Azariah encouraged him and his people with the words: “But you, be strong and do not let your hands drop, for your activity will be rewarded.” (2 Chron. 15:7, ftn.) This moved Asa to make many changes so as to restore pure worship. In a similar way, your positive words can deeply affect others. You can thus help them to serve Jehovah more fully. (Prov. 15:23) And at the meetings, never overlook the powerful effect you can have on others by raising your hand and offering upbuilding comments.