Should evil come upon us, the sword, or judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house and before You (for Your name is in this house) and cry to You in our distress, and You will hear and deliver us.
– 2 Chronicles 20:9
A multitude of enemy warriors marched to war against the tribe of Judah.
They slipped around the Dead Sea and caught the people of God by surprise, making it as far as Engedi before they were spotted and reported to King Jehoshaphat.
Jehoshaphat knew that his army could not stand before the combined armies of his enemies. Distressed, he turned to God, proclaiming a fast in Judah and assembling all the people to the house of God. His prayer is memorialized in Chronicles for the generations after to him who face an overpowering evil force. He ended his entreaty with these touching words: “Our eyes are on You.”
God answered the king with a plan for battle that has become the blueprint for generations of His people to come:
-Do not fear or be dismayed. (v. 15)
-The battle is God’s. (v.15)
-Hold your position on the battlefield. (v. 17)
-Trust God. (v.20)
-Offer the thanksgiving of praise. (v. 21-22)
-Stand and see the salvation of the LORD. (v. 17)
King Jehoshaphat did all God had commanded. His army went down to the battleground, stood before the amassed armies of their enemies, and sang praises to God. They did not fight, and they did not run before the threat of certain defeat. They did not study the enemy or count the number of weapons and men arrayed before them. They kept their eyes off the battleground and on their Captain.
They held their position, trusted God, faced down fear, and sang His praises.
True to God’s word, He destroyed the enemy by setting them against themselves, so that they were all destroyed without Judah’s army raising one hand in battle.
When Satan sets a trap for you, and you find yourself facing certain destruction, remember God’s promise to Judah.
Your enemy may be too strong for you, but this isn’t your battle.
This is God’s war, and it’s personal.
Your God will fight for you. Look up, for your deliverance is coming.