The Mekhilta cites King Asa of Judah as yet another example of prayer triumphing over impossible military odds. The story appears in (II Chronicles 14:10), where Asa faces a massive Ethiopian army and turns not to strategy but to God.
Asa's prayer is remarkable for its theological precision. He begins with a declaration of God's unique power: "O Lord, there is none but You to help both the many and the powerless." This single sentence overturns the fundamental assumption of ancient warfare — that larger armies win. Asa declares that God can save the many just as easily as He can save the few. Numbers are irrelevant when the Lord of hosts intervenes.
The prayer then shifts to a statement of total reliance: "Upon You did we rely, and in Your name have we come against this great throng." Asa was not pretending to be brave. He was acknowledging that his army's presence on the battlefield was itself an act of faith, not military calculation. They came because they trusted God, not because they believed they could win on their own strength.
The prayer climaxes with a stunning theological claim: "O Lord our God, let no man be enthroned with You." Asa was declaring that the outcome of this battle would reveal whether any human power can share God's throne — whether any mortal army can stand as God's equal. The answer, of course, was no. God routed the Ethiopians. Asa's prayer had accomplished what his soldiers alone never could.