Jehoshaphat was in trouble. He had just heard the news that a great multitude was coming to fight against him. At that moment he did what all of us naturally do when a multitude of problems come against us. He was afraid. How well I know the feeling of fear, the dread that grips my heart at times. Sometimes it’s the big things, like being misunderstood and misused, or the fear and pain of sickness, or the death of a loved one. Sometimes it’s small things, like loneliness on a Sunday afternoon. This is not comfortable, God, and I’m afraid.
Jehoshaphat laid his fear aside, set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all the land of Judah – verse 3. Even in this seemingly impossible situation of having thousands of men on their way to destroy him and his people, he fell before the Lord and acknowledged His perfect, omnipotent rule. And [he] said, O LORD God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven? and rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen? and in thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee? –verse 6.
The choice is mine. I wrestle with my own fearful thoughts, turning them over and over in my mind as if hoping to change the situation with my messy and fearful concoctions. Clinging to my fear gives me a feeling of being in control. But it is killing me from the inside out, even without the dreaded “what ifs” becoming reality. Finally, I let go and fall exhausted at my Lord’s feet, and my heart echoes the words of Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah.
In humble entreaty, Jehoshaphat acknowledges their weakness and need for God’s power. O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee. –verse 12.
Yes, God, I am nothing in the grand scheme of things. I have no power, not even to be the fruitful worker in Your kingdom that I always dreamed of being. I can’t fight this battle.
Jehoshaphat realized that he alone, as one man, had no strength. He called all the people of Judah together, And all Judah stood before the LORD, with their little ones, their wives, and their children –verse 13. They knew the strength in unity. As they stood before the Lord, waiting for Him to speak, the Spirit of the Lord came down and God gave them the words of help and hope that they were desperate for.
…Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s –verse 15. Often I try to fight my battles inside of myself rather than making myself vulnerable to others. But, as soon as I invite others into my life and into my battles, I find the strength of God through His people. When we are confused and disillusioned, we need the people of God. When we all pray together, we will get an answer to our prayer for direction.
Jehoshaphat heard the next directive from God. Tomorrow go ye down against them … Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD … fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the LORD will be with you –verses 16-17. These words comfort my heart. Often the easiest thing to do is try to fix things, to quickly come up with a remedy of some sort to get myself out of this dilemma, to try to convince myself that everything will be okay. But God tells my heart to sit still without fear and let Him do the fighting. This takes more spiritual muscle than all the action, all the doing, and all the worrying; plus, it accomplishes a lot more.
And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the LORD, worshipping the LORD –verse 18. If I obey and trust instead of worry and sit still instead of jumping into the middle of things, then I will see God do miracles. No, not always in changing my circumstances or removing all the hard things, but He does a miracle in my own soul which changes my focus and attitude. And that causes me to worship because it’s a miracle which only the all-mighty, all-powerful God can do.
Do you think any of them slept that night? They knew a fearsome army was on its way to destroy them and yet… they had heard God speak. Just perhaps there was a joyful expectation in their hearts and an eager anticipation to see how God was going to win this battle. When I learn to practice trust in the little things and the big things that pile into my life, I will soon learn to have a heart of excited expectation, because I know He is going to do something! He is going to give me a way out. Even if the worst happens, He will show my heart the way of peace and He has promised to be with me through it all. And after all, the ultimate victory is already won, so what do all these infractions really have to do with my peace and joy? Nothing.
Morning dawned; it was the day God had told them to go out against these enemies. They arose with no delay. They all knew obedience was paramount in receiving God’s blessing that day. And as they went out of the city, Jehoshaphat exhorted them. And they rose early in the morning, …and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, …Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper. And… he appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army… – verses 21-20. He appointed singers to sing as they went, proclaiming to everyone and to the opposing army that they were on the Lord’s side.
I would have liked to see that huge army going out of the city, singing. They were facing a daunting task and one that would have made the strongest man tremble, but they were singing. And when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set… [an ambush] against the children of Ammon, [and] Moab, …which were come against Judah; and they were smitten …every one helped to destroy another –verses 22-23.
The people of Judah went to their watch tower and in amazement saw that their enemies had destroyed each other, and they saw nothing but an army of dead bodies. When a fearsome battle is set in array against me, I can still make the decision to trust and sing. Singing is a deliberate act of worship; it reminds our own souls and the souls of everyone listening that the Lord, He is God. He is the One in complete charge of my circumstances, of my tiny world, and all its problems. Suddenly the enemies are dead. The circumstances may not have changed, but the battle is finished in my soul.
The army of Judah spent the next three days gathering the riches and spoils from the dead bodies of their enemies, collecting so much that they couldn’t carry it all away with them. Astonishing! But that is how it is every time. My spirit benefits from the hard things that I endure successfully. Each victory allows me to collect ‘spoils’ which will profit me for the rest of my life. My heart is full of blessing, of being cared for, and being carried by a Heavenly Father. The “armies of Moab and Ammon” have brought blessing instead of ruin.
They came again to their homes in Jerusalem with singing, and harps, and trumpets, overloaded with all their spoil. The fear of God fell on all the kingdoms of the land when they heard how God had fought this huge battle, then Jehoshaphat’s realm was quiet. Peace reigned.
The peace of knowing that all I really need is God and His working in my life is the ultimate peace. This broken world can bring all manner of pain, sickness, and disappointments, but God brings rest to the heart that was once so full of tumult and fear. There is rest ‘round about’ and all the ‘kingdoms of the land’ will be amazed and curious at the strength that is within us, because it is the strength that no one can match—the strength of our amazing God.
