#TuesdayTruth 2 Chronicles 20:12-17
“ ‘For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you.’
All the men of Judah, with their wives and children and little ones, stood there before the Lord.
Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel son of Zechariah, the son of Beniah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite and descendant of Asaph, as he stood in the assembly.
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. Tomorrow march down against them. They will be climbing up by the Pass of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the gorge in the Desert of Jeruel. You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.” ’ ”
For context, here, the king of Judah, a guy named Jehoshaphat, is facing a huge army. This is not a “bedtime story” or a “fairy tale.” It is an account of how God, our Father, provided deliverance to an entire people. But guess what? He can speak to us in the “here and now” through these written accounts in the Bible.
In the face of an enormous opponent, Jehoshaphat calls out to the Lord and what he says is SO appropriate for many of us during different trials or difficult seasons of life: “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you.” What more can we say? Except humbly and honestly tell Him, “God, I have no idea what to do right now- what job to take or where to move or who to date or what doctor to use or which contractor to hire or how to make this schedule work or how to help my family or this or that. However, in the face of knowing that I have no idea about this, I am going to keep my focus on you and my face turned to you and follow you all the days of my life.”
Then, in this scripture, we are told that not only does the Lord respond to this simple and honest statement, but He answers with such powerful words. He commands them not to fear! Can you imagine? A huge army is bearing down on you, but do not be scared; do not worry.
Now, here is why they are not to worry: This battle is not even theirs to fight! It is God’s. All He tells them to do is to march, take up positions, STAND FIRM and watch the deliverance that He gives (and He even tells them what the enemy has planned). Quite simply, God’s got this.
There are many times that we, as believers, are commanded not to worry (Matthew 6:25, 34; Luke 12:22), to cast our cares on Him (1 Peter 5:7), to not be anxious for anything (Philippians 4:6). Here, in this scripture, we are also given a key to following that- to keep our eyes steadily fixed on the Creator, to one who holds us and this whole universe in His hands. Then, to stand firm and trust that our Father has good things for us (Psalm 31, 34, 84, 103, 107; Jeremiah 29:11-13) and that He will prevail, as He cannot be defeated (1 Corinthians 15:54-57, 1 John 5:4). The victory has already been won!
Hallelujah!
Heavenly Father,
Thank you for accounts like this in your inspired word and thank you for the encouragement we receive from it. Thank you for not asking for huge, heroic actions from us, but for simply telling us to keep our eyes on you and trust in you. We stand firm, knowing that you cannot and will not be defeated.
We love you Father, Amen.