Jehoshaphat’s Prayer

“You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the Lord will be with you.” (2 Chronicles 20:17)

In the ESV translation of the Bible, 2 Chronicles chapter 20 is titled “Jehoshaphat’s Prayer” and it goes on to recount what Jehoshaphat prayed when faced with “a great multitude”. As I read this chapter again, a few things stood out to me. First, Jehoshaphat was afraid. And, despite his fear, he decided to set his face and seek the Lord. He even declared a fast throughout the land for this cause. He did not retreat or hide way, but he turned to the Lord instead. Secondly, Jehoshaphat admitted to the Lord that he did not know what to do. He did not try to solve things on his own. But he purposed to turn his eyes and his prayers towards the Lord God. And lastly, Jehoshaphat led his army to war with the praise team in the front. And when they started to sing and praise, the Lord ambushed their enemies (v.22). What a way to win a battle!

The reality is that many times in life we will face things that we are not ready for or prepared for in any way. But, like Jehoshaphat, we can decide to turn to the Lord God for help and not run away from the problem. We can seek His direction in how to “fight the battle”, or, maybe like in this case, to let Him fight for us. And then we can choose to praise God even before the battle is won. God can bring about a greater breakthrough than we could have ever achieved on our own. So, do not be afraid, and do not be dismayed. Stand firm and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf.