FEBBUARY 3, 2015 STAND AND SEE
2 Chronicles 18:17 “You need not fight in this battle, station yourselves, stand and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out to face them, for the Lord is with you.”
Jehoshaphat is facing an overpowering enemy and it seems that his days are numbered. However, Jehoshaphat prays to God, and his prayer finds favor with God and God responds. Jehoshaphat prayed (20:12): “O our God, wilt Thou not judge them? For we are powerless before this great multitude who are coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are on Thee.” This prayer of Jehoshaphat offers key insight into what makes prayer effective. First, Jehoshaphat is honest before God and he tells God how he really feels and what he is thinking. He confesses that he and the people “are powerless” before the enemy they face. Jehoshaphat goes on to say that they do not know what to do-they are clueless. At the end of this short prayer, we find the key part of the prayer when Jehoshaphat said; “but our eyes are on Thee.” God heard and God responded to the desperate prayer of Jehoshaphat in an amazing way. God said that He would fight the battle on Jehoshaphat’s behalf! All that Jehoshaphat and the people had to do was; “station yourselves, stand and see the salvation of the Lord.” They were instructed to “go out to face them”; however, God would fight the battle. We may not have multitudes coming to destroy us, but we do face battles that may seem insurmountable at times and we may feel helpless just as Jehoshaphat did. When we face a battle, when the enemy comes to attack us, let us do as Jehoshaphat did when he faced the enemy. Let us be honest before God and bare our soul before Him and not just tell him what we think He wants to hear. It’s good to admit our weakness and our inability to conquer in our own strength. And, it’s good to confess that we do not know what to do. Just as God instructed Jehoshaphat and the people, we too must “go out to face the enemy.” Rather than hiding, we must face our enemy face to face with confidence and boldness in the Lord because it is the Lord who will fight on our behalf! Our part is to “station yourselves, stand and see the salvation of the Lord.” This does not mean that we are called to inactivity, or to be passive in the battles we face. (There are times when the Lord allows uses a battle to change us).There are times in some battles we must take certain action as the Lord directs. Even though the Lord may instruct us to take certain action, or give us a specific assignment; we must know that it is the Lord who fights the battle. Whatever the battle we face, we must be honest with God about the battle; we must admit that we are helpless apart from the Lord; we must confess that we do not know what to do; we must put our “eyes on Him”; and then we must face the enemy and “station ourselves to see the salvation of the Lord.” The deliverance may be quick or the battle may continue for some time; but our part is to keep praying and trusting in God’s deliverance.
2 Chronicles 16:9 “For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.”
2 Chronicles 14:11 “…..Lord, there is no one besides Thee to help in the battle between the powerful and those that have no strength; so help us, O Lord our God, for we trust in Thee, and in Thy name have come against this multitude. O Lord, Thou art our God; let not man prevail against Thee.”
Blessings,
Buddy
2 Chronicles 18:17 “You need not fight in this battle, station yourselves, stand and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out to face them, for the Lord is with you.”
Jehoshaphat is facing an overpowering enemy and it seems that his days are numbered. However, Jehoshaphat prays to God, and his prayer finds favor with God and God responds. Jehoshaphat prayed (20:12): “O our God, wilt Thou not judge them? For we are powerless before this great multitude who are coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are on Thee.” This prayer of Jehoshaphat offers key insight into what makes prayer effective. First, Jehoshaphat is honest before God and he tells God how he really feels and what he is thinking. He confesses that he and the people “are powerless” before the enemy they face. Jehoshaphat goes on to say that they do not know what to do-they are clueless. At the end of this short prayer, we find the key part of the prayer when Jehoshaphat said; “but our eyes are on Thee.” God heard and God responded to the desperate prayer of Jehoshaphat in an amazing way. God said that He would fight the battle on Jehoshaphat’s behalf! All that Jehoshaphat and the people had to do was; “station yourselves, stand and see the salvation of the Lord.” They were instructed to “go out to face them”; however, God would fight the battle. We may not have multitudes coming to destroy us, but we do face battles that may seem insurmountable at times and we may feel helpless just as Jehoshaphat did. When we face a battle, when the enemy comes to attack us, let us do as Jehoshaphat did when he faced the enemy. Let us be honest before God and bare our soul before Him and not just tell him what we think He wants to hear. It’s good to admit our weakness and our inability to conquer in our own strength. And, it’s good to confess that we do not know what to do. Just as God instructed Jehoshaphat and the people, we too must “go out to face the enemy.” Rather than hiding, we must face our enemy face to face with confidence and boldness in the Lord because it is the Lord who will fight on our behalf! Our part is to “station yourselves, stand and see the salvation of the Lord.” This does not mean that we are called to inactivity, or to be passive in the battles we face. (There are times when the Lord allows uses a battle to change us).There are times in some battles we must take certain action as the Lord directs. Even though the Lord may instruct us to take certain action, or give us a specific assignment; we must know that it is the Lord who fights the battle. Whatever the battle we face, we must be honest with God about the battle; we must admit that we are helpless apart from the Lord; we must confess that we do not know what to do; we must put our “eyes on Him”; and then we must face the enemy and “station ourselves to see the salvation of the Lord.” The deliverance may be quick or the battle may continue for some time; but our part is to keep praying and trusting in God’s deliverance.
2 Chronicles 16:9 “For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.”
2 Chronicles 14:11 “…..Lord, there is no one besides Thee to help in the battle between the powerful and those that have no strength; so help us, O Lord our God, for we trust in Thee, and in Thy name have come against this multitude. O Lord, Thou art our God; let not man prevail against Thee.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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