Wednesday, February 17, 2021 Some material taken from When You Don’t Know What To Do
And the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah and he said, Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says the LORD to you, Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God's. Tomorrow go down against them. You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the LORD on your behalf. Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the LORD will be with you. 2 Chronicles 20:14-17
For the battle is not yours, but God's...
I love this passage because I think there are so many good things we can learn from this situation and how God handles it. First I have to say that the image of the great horde is exactly what it feels like when we are facing difficult times. Even though we may not have a great army headed for us, we have different kinds of “great hordes” that descend on us at times. Jehoshaphat was facing a great horde of armies. Prior to this passage God had protected Jehoshaphat by holding back his enemies, which of course He could have continued to do, but He does not. Instead the great horde is coming, and instead of rescuing them completely out of the situation, God sends them directly into the middle of it. God often wants us to go to the battle front as an exercise of our faith in Him. This battle was not Jehoshaphat’s or the kingdom of Judah’s battle, it was the Lords - for the battle is not yours but God's.
So many times, we just want God to make the great horde disappear, or for God to keep holding back the hordes, but sometimes He wants us to take the step of faith and face the great hordes so He can do a great work in our hearts. It takes a lot of faith and trust to stand still when the hordes are upon you, but this is what faith is. Our faith is built on moments like this when we see God work in our lives, and our faith is strengthened when we witness it over and over again. We see His power and faithfulness at work for us in our lives. God will fight every battle for us - He already has the victory in His hands. He wants us to trust Him - His sovereignty, power and faithfulness.
Even when we are most desperate, and fear is making our insides melt, let us ascribe sovereign power to God. When you begin by ascribing all power and glory to God, a strength and hope and confidence come into your prayers that aligns you with the power seat of the universe. -
Sam Nobles
Trusting in God’s sovereignty is the only answer in a situation when we don’t know what to do. Believing in His sovereignty is the only way we will trust in Him and His promises on the front lines of battle. When we have to fight battles for or make decisions that affect our loved ones, trusting Him is the only way to get through. Focusing on Him every step of the way we can find direction and guidance for taking the steps we feel He is leading us to take in faith.
God cares about us. He understands our fears and loves us and wants the best for us. The battle is not ours just like the battle was not Jehoshaphat’s either. There is no battle too big for Him because He is sovereign God and nothing happens outside of His control. He sends us to the battle but we do not have to fight because He fights for us. We just have the faith to move forward and to turn it all over to Him.
The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent. Exodus 14:14
