Jehoshaphat



Lord God of our ancestors, you are the God in heaven. You rule over all the kingdoms in all the nations. You have power and strength. No one can stand against you.

2 Chronicles 20:6 (ERV)


I hate suffering.  I don’t understand why it has to happen.  Early this morning I read a text from a friend who is suffering.  I was instantly confused, mad, and began struggling with why she is going through this.  I know there isn’t an answer to every why.  I’ve heard that questions are good when they bring you closer to God, but when they take you further away, you should quit asking and let your faith step in.  

Exodus 14 is a chapter that explains how suffering offers a chance for God to display his mighty power when we trust Him to overcome it.  
  • Moses told the Israelites to escape from slavery.  
  • The Lord made Pharaoh brave to chase them.  
  • The Israelites cried out that they would have rather stayed slaves then come to the desert to die.
  • But Moses answered, “Don’t be afraid! Don’t run away! Stand where you are and watch the Lord save you today. You will never see these Egyptians again.You will not have to do anything but stay calm. The Lord will do the fighting for you.”
  • The Lord saved the Israelites from the Egyptians.
  • The Israelites saw the great power of the Lord when he defeated the Egyptians.
  • So the people feared and respected the Lord, and they began to trust the Lord and his servant Moses.
2 Chronicles 20 describes another story very similar to this.  I’ve been slowly working my way through a list of stories (when I remember) and I “coincidentally” got to this one today that tells of a battle Jehoshaphat faced.  
  • He calls out to the Lord, “We don’t have the strength to stop this large army that is coming against us. We don’t know what to do! We are looking to you for help.”
  • The spirit of the Lord came on Jahaziel and he said, ‘Don’t be afraid or worry about this large army, because the battle is not your battle. It is God’s battle!”
  • Jehoshaphat told his army to have faith and stand strong.  
  • They marched in front of the army and sang.  
  • The Lord defeated their enemies.  
  • People in all the surrounding kingdoms became afraid of God when they heard that the Lord fought against the enemies of Israel.
  • There was peace for Jehoshaphat’s kingdom—his God brought him rest from the enemies that were all around him.
I love this story of Jehoshaphat because it brings happy memories of singing this song with my sister when we were kids.  We used to absolutely jam to this album by Don Francisco.
These stories of battle remind me that we must trust that the Lord is fighting battles for us and will win.  I pray this reassurance for my friend today as her body is in a huge battle against infection. Let’s pray that she can stand strong and watch God overcome in this situation.
We all have battles that we have been fighting too long.  I pray that today you can give your battle to God and stand strong as He fights it for you.  

If the parallel's not real obvious now

I'll spell it right out for you
When you see trouble comin' to rip you off
Here's all that you need to do
Pray to your Heavenly Father
And believe that His word is true
And then step out and shout the salvation of God
'Cause He'll win that battle for you

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