He said: “Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.
2 Chronicles 20:15 NIV
In 2 Chronicles 20:1-30 is found the story of an invasion of Judah by a coalition of forces from Ammon, Moab, and Edom. This occurred when Jehoshaphat was king of Judah. The invading army was vast; much too large for Judah to be able to repel on their own. And I believe that Jehoshaphat’s response to this crisis is instructive for us today.
Jehoshaphat resolved to seek the Lord’s help. And he enlisted the rest of the nation to join him. He laid out the problem before God in great detail. And God responded to him. He told Jehoshaphat that this was not his battle to fight. God would take care of it, but Jehoshaphat was welcome to go and watch.
So Jehoshaphat led his army out to watch the battle, putting his choir on the front lines to sing praises to God. And when they reached the invading forces, they were all dead. They had killed each other. Nothing was left to do beyond carrying away the plunder and rejoicing in God’s deliverance.
If you are like most people, you will face a time of crisis at least once in your life. A time when everything seems to be conspiring against you. And you may well feel overwhelmed. But rather than fall into despair, seek out the Lord. He may well do for you what he did for Jehoshaphat. But at the very least, he will walk with you through your crisis and will keep you safe in him.
