and he said, “Listen carefully, all Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and King Jehoshaphat. This is what the LORD says: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast number, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. Tomorrow go down against them. You will see them coming up the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the valley facing the Wilderness of Jeruel. You do not have to fight this battle. Position yourselves, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD. He is with you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or discouraged. Tomorrow, go out and face them, for Yahweh is with you.’ ”   2 Chronicles 20:15-17 HCSB

If you have read my blog very much then you may know that this is my favorite battle in the Bible. It is so relevant to our lives today. You see Jehoshaphat messed up. He had befriended King Ahab who was evil and God didn’t like this. Jehoshaphat wanted to correct this problem because he loved the Lord. God saw that Jehoshaphat’s heart was good and that he was seeking the LORD. He was also doing all he could to encourage those in his kingdom to do the same. He was making every effort to rid the land of things like Asherah poles which were used in pagan rituals.

While Jehoshaphat is going about trying to seek the Lord and do good, he gets some bad news. Not one, but two vast armies are coming against his kingdom. Just as he is doing good, this happens. Sound familiar?

Now Jehoshaphat didn’t fall out in a temper tantrum or whine and complain.  Instead, we are told in verse three that he was afraid and he resolved to seek the Lord. He didn’t cower in fear. He didn’t run nor did he hide. He was determined to seek the Lord. He knew where his help would come from (Psalm 121:2). He proclaimed a fast for all Judah who gathered to seek the Lord. It says in verse four that they came from all the cities of Judah to seek Him. Jehoshaphat’s reform had begun to take root and the people were seeking the Lord.

Have you ever been afraid? I mean really afraid? Has it ever felt like two vast armies, way too big for you to fight, were closing in on you? Perhaps the old fight or flight instinct was taking over and you were trying to determine if you should run or stand your ground. This story shows that we need not do either of those things. We simply need to seek the Lord. We need to be determined. We need to resolve to seek the Lord. Now you may ask why Jehoshaphat proclaimed a fast. When we are willing to give up something that we love, be it food or electronic devices or hobbies or time spent in front of the television, we show God that we are serious in our resolve to seek Him. We show Him that we are seeking Him with our whole heart. Five chapters prior in 2 Chronicles 15, King Asa was told by Azariah, “Asa and all of Judah and Benjamin, hear me. The LORD is with you when you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you, but if you abandon Him, He will abandon you.”

Jehoshaphat fasted and he prayed. God heard His prayer and our scripture passage today is God’s answer to Him. God tells Him that this is God’s battle not Judah’s. God is going to fight this battle for them. They just need to suit up and show up and see how God will save them. How awesome is that?

Perhaps there is something that is causing you to fear today. Please know that God will fight this battle for you. Please don’t be discouraged or afraid, but trust in Him. Seek Him wholeheartedly. Maybe you need to remove something in your life, even if temporarily, to show God that you are seeking Him with all your heart. Pray to Him and have faith. Know that He’s got this.

Now my favorite part of this story is that these two vast armies came in and destroyed each other. Jehoshaphat and his men didn’t have to lift a finger until it came time to haul the plunder away. There were so many valuables to be hauled away that it took them three days. But the really awesome thing is that they got some amazing street cred. Verse 29 tells us, “The terror of God was on all the kingdoms of the lands when they heard that Yahweh had fought against the enemies of Israel and Jehoshaphat’s kingdom was quiet for his God gave him rest on every side.” How awesome is that? No one else dared mess with them when word got out about what God had done to save them. He will do the same for you, my friend. You just need to seek Him with your whole heart. You need to pray to Him. You need to remove any distractions from your life. Be willing to suit up, hold your position and watch God work.

If you are in fear of something today, know that God is right there to fight what you fear. If you do your part, He is more than willing to do His.

Have a great day!