By: Juliet Constantine

Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them: for the LORD will be with you. (2 Chron 20:17) 
 

King Jehoshaphat and all Judah and Jerusalem were fearful of the united strength of the great multitude consisting of the Moabites, the Ammonites and others who came against them for battle. It’s as if they were cornered in Engedi as this vast army came against them ‘from beyond the sea on this side Syria’. King Jehoshaphat did not have the man-power to go up against this multitude. He did not seek to summon help from the United Nations of his day. His only action was to lead his people to fast and pray and seek the help of the God of Heaven. And so he prayed, saying:

“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? Art not thou “our God, who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and gavest it to the seed of Abraham thy friend forever? And they dwelt therein, and have built thee a sanctuary therein for thy name, saying: If, when evil cometh upon us, as the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we stand before this house, and in thy presence, (for thy name is in this house,) and cry unto thee in our affliction, then thou wilt hear and help. And now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moab and mount Seir, whom thou wouldest not let Israel invade, when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them, and destroyed them not; Behold, I say, how they reward us, to come to cast us out of thy possession, which thou hast given us to inherit. 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.” (2 Chronicles 20:6-12)

There will come times in your life when those whom you helped, those closest to you, those you love dearly will, out of selfishness, seek to betray, hurt and destroy you. What should you do when faced with all these tests and trials? Sometimes we get the compulsion to talk, but not to the right person. Our faith sometimes waivers and we find ourselves talking to anyone who will listen, except God.

But like King Jehoshaphat, let us turn to God in fasting and prayer; and turn the compulsion to talk to others in asking them to join us in prayer. While God’s response might or might not be as immediate as His response to Judah, we can still be assured that He still favors His own and He will answer speedily. If we could just be still we would hear His response reminding us that the battle is not ours, it’s the Lord’s.

In your time of trouble, when all hope is gone, do not give upon speaking to your Lord in prayer. In your darkest hour, cry out to God. Even if you blame God for allowing the crucible, stay on your knees and pray on. I know it’s sometimes hard to pray when troubles comes. But like the children of Judah, keep your eyes on the Lord and pray. Only God can tear down mighty strongholds. Only God can keep the enemy ‘at bay’ and only God can give you rest from those who perplexed you. Like so many others, go to God in prayer and keep your eyes on Him. Be still! The battle is not yours, it’s the Lord’s.

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? Art not thou who created marriage as a symbol of your love and union with your Church? Dear Father in Heaven, our help is in You. We are afraid of what will happen should the enemy have his way. Many families are being conquered like those nations of old. But like Judah, we cry to You for deliverance. We place our families in Your hand because we have no help but You. We are powerless Father against the forces of evil that bombarded our families on every side. Please help us. This is Your battle Lord. Fight for us we pray, in Jesus’ name, amen.

Copyrighted by Juliet Constantine 2014 (for “Alone With God – Finding Jesus In The Scriptures” Daily Devotional