"15 He said, “Listen, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Listen, King Jehoshaphat! This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. 16 Tomorrow, march out against them. You will find them coming up through the ascent of Ziz at the end of the valley that opens into the wilderness of Jeruel. 17 But you will not even need to fight. Take your positions; then stand still and watch the Lord’s victory. He is with you, O people of Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or discouraged. Go out against them tomorrow, for the Lord is with you!”
25 King Jehoshaphat and his men went out to gather the plunder. They found vast amounts of equipment, clothing, and other valuables—more than they could carry. There was so much plunder that it took them three days just to collect it all!" 2 Chronicles 20:14-17, 25
Jesus said, "Do not let your hearts be troubled, trust in God trust also in me." (John 14:1). It is so hard for us to sometimes trust in the unseen. This is especially true in times of trials and troubles. So often we depend upon ourselves or that which can see, hear, taste, or smell instead of trusting Christ. So when troubles come our way, our first instinct isn't always trusting God! We either come out swinging blindly or we curl up in a ball and give up. But neither of these reactions is helpful. God wants to show Himself VICTORIOUS through you and your circumstances. He wants YOU to overcome so that others see His DIVINE work in your life and turn to Christ!
Jehoshaphat was faced with a serious problem. Invading armies were coming to kill him, destroy Judah and its people, and carry away plunder. So what did he do? He cried out to God! He called on all of the people to join him in fasting and praying. The whole nation of Judah came to Jerusalem in a show of humility and reverence to God. Then the Holy Spirit began to speak through a man named Jahaziel, a Levite descended from Asaph. Jahaziel said something profound, "Do not be afraid or discouraged...for the battle is NOT yours, but Gods!" (2 Chronicles 20:15)
How did Judah respond to this news? I mean if it was God's battle, their army could just stand down and they could all go home, right? Not exactly. Judah still prepared for battle. They arose early on the day of battle, dressed in armor, sword in hand, standing in battle formation ready to fight. The day of battle arrived and the army left Jerusalem, lead by singers who sang praises and worship to God! But the night before battle, King Jehoshaphat gave a strange order to his army, "Stand still and watch the Lord's victory!" They weren't to fight at all! Upon arriving at the battle site, the Israelites discovered that God had caused the invading armies to turn on each other. Allies had become enemies. The hoards now all lay dead. God had won the victory for Judah! All Judah had to do was stand ready and watch. Not only did God win the victory on Judah's behalf, he blessed them with an abundance of plunder from the field of battle. There was so much plunder that it took three days to gather it all and EVERY man was loaded down!
Quite obviously, the lesson here for us is that no matter what battles we face in life, they are not ours to fight! They are God's! He already has won the victory! We read this promise in our Bible, we hear it taught at church, but we still don't get it...I mean we really don't get it down deep inside where it's life changing. And if we don't get it, then it's hard to claim it and live it! God knows past, present, and future. Not only does He know past, present, and future, He rules them as well! And if He rules past, present, and future, shouldn't we be able to trust Him in all things?
And though the battle is the Lord's and He has the victory, we are STILL to stand ready, in full spiritual armor, swords drawn, helmet on and shields high - never letting down our guard. We are to be watching, witnesses who testify to His glory in the battles we face! We need to be ready to lay claim to the plunder from the field of battle - reclaiming the Lost, the backslidden, and those things in our lives that the enemy dared to mess with (health, family, children, finances, jobs, etc...)
Do not let your heart be troubled today. In all circumstances, good or bad, trust in the Lord. The battle isn't yours to fight, so surrender it completely to Him in prayer. Then let Him do what He always does best - bringing the victory into your life!
In His Love, Cathy
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