Then he consulted with the people and appointed some to sing for the LORD and some to praise the splendor of His holiness. When they went out in front of the armed forces, they kept singing:
Give thanks to the LORD, for His faithful love endures forever.
2 Chronicles 20:21 HCSB
In 2 Chronicles chapter 20, King Jehoshaphat was faced with not one but two massive armies coming against him. He loved the Lord and had been leading his people in serving the Lord.
So, when these armies came against him, he knew just what to do. He assembled his people and had them fast and pray. God answered their prayer and told them not to be afraid or discouraged because of these troops coming against them.
Instead, God told them to suit up and go out to meet these troops. He told them where to meet them. He also instructed them to take their positions and simply watch God deliver them from their enemies. Our Scripture passage is a description of their battle formation.
Read it again. The praise team went out before the infantry. Just think of the faith it takes to direct a military unit in this way. At no time in SWAT school were we ever taught to have a choir go in ahead of us, but that’s what they did.
The interesting thing about this battle is it went down just as God had promised. Of course as long as we are obedient to Him, it always does. But, when it’s your neck on the chopping block it’s natural to be a little nervous, right? They simply suited up, got into position, stood still and watched God work.
How God delivered them is awesome. See, God took those two armies coming against them and threw them into confusion. He turned them against each other. They destroyed each other while Jehoshaphat and his praise team and army looked on. They didn’t have to draw a sword or a spear. They just had to watch God deliver them.
Afterwards, however, they did have to go in and get the plunder or all the valuables from these armies. There were so many valuables on these soldiers, it took them three days to carry all the plunder away. On the fourth day they praised the Lord.
As a Christian, our life is a series of battles. There are times when our opponent seems fierce and we may easily become frightened. But have no fear, God’s got this. Psalm 46:10 says, “Stop your fighting-and know that I am God, exalted among the nations, exalted on the earth.”
When I find myself facing a battle, sometimes I feel I know just what to do and how I can handle it. This is when I’m apt to make a mess of things. We are not told to “handle it”. We are told to acknowledge God in all we do and trust in Him to lead us on the right paths (Proverbs 3:5-6).
There are other times when the enemy is so big and fierce, I know I’m outnumbered, and I cry out to God. This should always be our first step. We fight our battles on our knees. We begin with prayer.
We must suit up. In Colossians 3:12-14 we are told to put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. We are told to accept and forgive one another as Christ forgave us. But above all we are told to put on love which is the perfect bond of unity.
None of that sounds like battle attire, right? Consider compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience and love as what you would wear under your battle gear. Ephesians 6:10-18 explains our outer battle gear. We are to put on the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the helmet of salvation and shoes shod for the gospel of peace. We must carry the shield of faith and the sword of the Spirit which is God’s holy word.
Every day we face a potential battle. Be sure you are prepared to fight. Be dressed appropriately. Carry your shield of faith and your sword (God’s holy word).
As Christians, we fight our battles differently but the great thing is we are guaranteed victory in the end.
Have a great day!