December 13: The battle is not yours…

Then in the midst of the assembly, the Lord’s Spirit came upon Jachaziel son of Zechariah…… He said: “Pay attention, all you people of Judah, residents of Jerusalem, and King Jehoshaphat! This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Don’t be afraid and don’t panic because of this huge army! For the battle is not yours, but God’s’”…… Early the next morning they marched out to the Desert of Tekoa. When they were ready to march, Jehoshaphat ……appointed musicians to play before the Lord and praise his majestic splendor…… When they began to shout and praise, the Lord suddenly attacked the Ammonites, Moabites, and men from Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated. The Ammonites and Moabites attacked the men from Mount Seir and annihilated them. When they had finished off the men of Seir, they attacked and destroyed one another. When the men of Judah arrived at the observation post overlooking the desert and looked at the huge army, they saw dead bodies on the ground; there were no survivors.  (2 Chronicles 20:14-24 — New English Bible)

Amazing! When Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah humbled themselves before God and asked for His help, their enemies were destroyed without anyone lifting a shield or sword. Three armies turned on each other and destroyed themselves even before Jehoshaphat arrived.

First of all, they listened to God’s prophet and believed his word. This is always the first step in conquering something big: believe in God’s promise — determine that it will come true in your life. In the world we live in so many things are undependable and shaky, but not the Word of God; He does not lie; His Word will not return to Him void. When we believe the Word of God, and act on it, we can be sure of an answer.

When Jehoshaphat placed priests at the front of the army, loudly worshiping God as they marched to war, he would have been considered a fool in terms of military tactics. No one did that.  It would be wise to try and sneak up on the enemy and surprise them, but he was not operating on earthly wisdom. He was already out numbered, and so he concentrated on getting help from God. This doesn’t mean that praise and worship is the “go to” solution to a big problem, but it does mean that trust in God determines the outcome of any battle or problem.

As soon as they started to march and worship God, their enemies started to self destruct. At the very same moment. We need to trust that God is doing the same in our lives. When we pray with faith, the person or situation we are praying about immediately feels the effect of our prayers. We may see the effect immediately, other times we have to wait, but our prayers have an immediate effect. — Right now I want you to determine the defeat of a problem in your life, and start acting like your answer is already a reality.