“Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you.”
2 Chronicles 20:17 KJV
There are much lessons that we can learn from the experience of King Jehoshaphat and the children of Israel as seen in 2 Chronicles 20:1-30. Their experience is also our experience as Christians and the Holy Spirit in this excerpt lays out before us some practical ways that we, like Jehoshaphat and his people, can also be victorious in the various challenges of our Christian walk.
1. The first thing we must do is to seek the Lord.
In 2 Chronicles 20:1-3, we see that the children of Ammon, Moab and others had set themselves to attack the children of Israel and to destroy them. When this news was brought to King Jehoshaphat, the first thing he did was to “set himself to seek the LORD“. In the midst of our trials and our great challenges, what are we doing? Are we murmuring and complaining and running to man, woman, boy and girl for help as opposed to first seeking the Lord?
Says the Prophet, “Thus says the LORD: Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the LORD” Jeremiah 17:5 ESV.
Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.
Psalm 20:7 ESV
Like Jehoshaphat, we must first learn to seek the Lord, to turn to Him, for He is our strength and our salvation.
2. We must proclaim a fast.
Not enough Christians dedicate enough time to fasting and prayer. Because they do not practice self denial, they know not how to skip a meal or two in order that they may spend time in personal prayer and devotion with God. If we are going to be able to stand in these last days, we must dedicate time to seasons of fasting and praying.
Notice that after seeking the Lord in prayer, Jehoshaphat “proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.” 2 Chronicles 20:3 KJV
At times, victory is not gained unless we dedicate time to fasting and praying. Notice the words of Jesus:
“And when He was come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, Why could not we cast him out? And He said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.”
Mark 9:28-29 KJV
3. Ask God for help.
“And Judah gathered themselves together, to ask help of the LORD.”
2 Chronicles 20:4 KJV
Are we asking God for help? or do we believe that we can do it on our own?
Jesus says, “without me ye can do nothing”, John 15:5 KJV.
In us dwells no good thing, Romans 7:18 KJV, we can do nothing by ourselves, and that includes overcoming in our weak areas and our fallen nature. Therefore, let us ask the Lord for help, let us come before Him and lay all of our burdens, our challenges, our weaknesses, before Him; He will never suffer the righteous to be moved because He cares for us.
“Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.”
Psalm 55:22 KJV
4. Recount God’s blessings & claim His promises.
Notice in 2 Chronicles 20:5-9, Jehoshaphat began to recount God’s blessings & claim His promises. He never forgot how God had been good to the children of Israel in the past, from the days of their deliverance from Egypt unto the inheritance of the promised land which was once promised to Abraham.
Recounting these blessings, he was now able to claim the promises of God, believing in His word because He knew that God’s word cannot fail.
The Word of God endureth forever, He is not a man that He should lie. If He said it, then we can take it to the bank, for His word never fails. When we truly understand this and believe this, then in the midst of our tribulations and in the midst of the fiery furnace, we can move forward by looking backwards because we know that the same God who was good to us in times past, will deliver us from the hand of the enemy and give us the victory.
” David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, He will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine.”
1 Samuel 17:37 KJV
5. Confess our weaknesses & keep our eyes on Jesus.
Like Jehoshaphat, we must confess our weaknesses, we must realise that we are helpless without God, without Him, we can do nothing.
Indeed, as seen in verse 12, “we have no might against this great company that cometh against us and we know not what to do.” Nonetheless, like Israel back then, we must say “but our eyes are upon Thee.”
Our eyes must be kept fixed upon Christ for when we take our eyes off of Him we shall sink into the depths of the sea like the Apostle Peter. See: Matthew 15:27-30 KJV. However, we have the promise of His word that when we say “Lord, save me” I am weak and helpless and I know not what to do, immediately, He will stretch forth His hand and save us. Matthew 27:30-31 KJV.
6. Do not fear the trial or the tribulation.
The word of the Lord to Jehoshaphat and the children of Israel was, “Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s“, 2 Chronicles 20:15 KJV
Reader, think it not a strange thing, concerning the fiery trial which is to try or to test you as though some strange thing has happened to you. Do not fear, nor be dismayed at the challenge you may be facing, but rather, rejoice for “the Lord test the righteous”, Psalm 11:5 NKJV.
He permits us to go through these challenging circumstances that we may be purified. How else can gold be refined lest it go through the fire? How else can the earthen vessel be fitted for use lest it be baked in the fiery kiln?
But in the midst of the fire, let us remember that, the battle is not ours but it is the Lord’s. Like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who were thrown into the fire because they chose to stand for God, feared not their trial and committed the battle to God, so we, by God’s grace, learn to do the same.
The battle is not ours to fight, it is the Lord’s. Give it to Him, He shall fight for us and we shall hold our peace, Exodus 14:14 KJV.
Reader, do you believe this? Do you trust the word of God? If yes, “why are ye so fearful, how is it that ye have no faith?” Mark 4:40 KJV
7. Be still.
Again, the word of the Lord to Jehoshaphat and the Israelites was, “…stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you“, verse 17.
Be still and know that Jesus is Lord, the God of all the universe. He sees your struggles and your pain. Cry out to Him, trust Him, believe in Him and once you have done this, be still and wait upon Him.
Learn to be patient is the midst of the trial.
Abraham waited 25 years for the promise of Isaac to be fulfilled, Genesis 12:1-3; Genesis 13:14-18; Genesis 16:1-6,15-16; Genesis 21:1-5. 9-14.
Jacob waited 14 years for Rachel, the woman he truly loved, Genesis 29:16-28.
“They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength”, Isaiah 40:31 KJV.
“I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in His word do I hope.” Psalm 130:5 KJV.
“My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from Him.” Psalm 62:5 KJV.
8. Sing praises.
In verses 20-21, the children of Israel began to sing praises unto God. In the midst of their trial, this did not stop them from giving praises to the Most High. What a valuable lesson we today can learn from them, for, “all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.” 1 Corinthians 10:11 KJV
Put some pep in your step with a song.
“Let praise and thanksgiving be expressed in song. When tempted, instead of giving utterance to our feelings, let us by faith lift up a song of thanksgiving to God. Song is a weapon that we can always use against discouragement.”
Evangelism pg. 499
Praise the Lord, for His mercy endureth forever.
9. Victory.
Once done, by faith, then God will bring us the victory, for without faith we cannot please Him. As God confounded the plans of the Moabites and their allies, so shall He confound the plans of the enemy and bring us the victory.
He shall say to satan and his evil angels, “This far and no further.” He shall deliver His people from the hands of the wicked one, for the battle is not ours but it is His. We are the apple of His eye and He shall take care of us.
And once this victory has been received by God’s grace, like with Jehoshaphat, the Lord shall give us “rest round about.”
Let us therefore trust in Him and seek to apply these 9 principles to our Christian walk and stand still and see the salvation of the Lord!
Loud Cry Compendium
Loud Cry Compendium 