Jehoshaphat was king over the kingdom of Judah... and that kingdom was surrounded. Enemies from several sectors were amassed against it; in both strength and number these enemies overpowered little Judah. The situation was so dire, the enemies so near to swarming, that Jehoshaphat had no choice but to be completely honest with himself, his kingdom and his God: "For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do,..."
From Jehoshaphat we learn that it is actually a strength to recognize when an enemy is too strong for you. It is actually wise to acknowledge that you do not know what to do. For it would be weak of Jehoshaphat to pretend or convince himself and others that he had the strength to succeed when he knew he did not; it would be foolish for Jehoshaphat to enter a battle when he knew he did not have a plan. So Jehoshaphat did the strong and wise thing and admitted in faith his weakness and ineptitude. He told God, "I do not know what to do... but my eyes are upon You. Let's speak that with the necessary emphases: I do not know what to do, but my eyes are on You.
There will be times in life when we do not know what to do, but if we know enough to look to God, we know enough. When from our perspective a situation is impossible, it is time adjust our stance, to look from the perspective of faith, not sight. For from the perspective of faith, all things are possible, Matthew 19:26. With our eyes on God, a path comes into focus, leading us through the battle and directly into Him.
From Jehoshaphat we learn that it is actually a strength to recognize when an enemy is too strong for you. It is actually wise to acknowledge that you do not know what to do. For it would be weak of Jehoshaphat to pretend or convince himself and others that he had the strength to succeed when he knew he did not; it would be foolish for Jehoshaphat to enter a battle when he knew he did not have a plan. So Jehoshaphat did the strong and wise thing and admitted in faith his weakness and ineptitude. He told God, "I do not know what to do... but my eyes are upon You. Let's speak that with the necessary emphases: I do not know what to do, but my eyes are on You.
There will be times in life when we do not know what to do, but if we know enough to look to God, we know enough. When from our perspective a situation is impossible, it is time adjust our stance, to look from the perspective of faith, not sight. For from the perspective of faith, all things are possible, Matthew 19:26. With our eyes on God, a path comes into focus, leading us through the battle and directly into Him.
- HOW COULD I NOT?
It happened after this that the people of Moab with the people of Ammon, and others with them...came to battle against Jehoshaphat. Then some came and told Jehoshaphat, saying, “A great multitude is coming against you from beyond the sea... And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. So Judah gathered together to ask help from the Lord; and from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord.The first thing we need to do in the face of fear is remember the character of our God and that is precisely what Jehoshaphat, and the kingdom of Judah with him, did:
“O Lord God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven, and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in Your hand is there not power and might, so that no one is able to withstand You? Are You not our God, who drove out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel, and gave it to the descendants of Abraham Your friend forever?
Our enemy, whatever or whoever it is, will probably be strong... it might even be stronger than we are but it is definitely not stronger than God. It's power is not as strong as God's, nor is it as comprehensive. For God's reign is over the whole earth, and the full range and variety of forces in the world. Yet not only does God have power over all, He is incomparably skilled in that power. God has been driving His children's enemies away since the very first enemy sprouted.
If we are going to rely on God, we need to know those things. We need to be familiar with the battles and the ways He has already won. We can't put our faith in the three letter word "God", we need to put our faith in the actual spirit of God... and we cannot do that if we do not know Him. No matter how much we try, we cannot rely on someone we have not built a relationship with. We might be able to muster up some hope... but that will falter when the day becomes dark and road starts to incline. No, without a personal, intimate, authentic, steadfast, steadily built, relationship with God, we will not be able to rely on Him. Not because He is unreliable but because our faith would be.
When we build a relationship with God, we begin to understand and also experience His Hand in our lives. It is then not only easier, but also more productive, for us to ask ourselves "In what way could we possibly lose?" when the One Who fights on our behalf cannot be defeated? Why waste time stressing about the several things that could go wrong when we have One firm promise that they will go right?
- THE BATTLE IS NOT YOURS
"Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you..."
Every time we flip an ounce of fear into faith, we divest our enemy of a weapon. Indeed we disarm them when we arm ourselves with faith. Jehoshaphat instructed the citizens of Judah to position their stance... not for a better position from which to fight, but a better vantage point from which to watch God fight on their behalf. All of Judah stood before the Lord in faith rather than cowering away from their situation in fear.
Therefore they had positioned themselves to be receptive to God's answer to their admission of weakness and prayer for help. They received the answer they needed to breathe again:
"Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s... You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.”
How would we receive that beautiful answer, any answer, that peaceful reassurance if we do not stand before God in anticipation of it? Can such intimate conversation occur between two strangers? Two distant strangers? You can't call God if you don't know His phone number, so to speak. And if you haven't familiarized yourself with Him, you won't recognize His voice if He calls you. You probably won't even pick up the phone.
All of that to say, the only way we truly would be able to stop worrying at God's command is if we truly trusted that what He says is true: that He is with us, that we need not fear, and that He will fight our battle.
But if we have developed a relationship with God... what an answer. What a blessing for God to take control. God stands in for us; He volunteers for trial by combat in order to free us from the sword. He is all at once comprehensively around us: beside us and fighting for us. And then He... always... wins.
To be able to rely on God in such a situation as Jehoshaphat and Judah were in, surrounded by a stronger more savvy enemy, is the pinnacle of faith. You probably do not have several nations' armies marching against you... you're probably not a king. But your enemy is just as real, just as fierce. Your addiction, depression, your illness, your emotional or physical pain, your loneliness or confusion or hopelessness or whatever it is is just as real... and just as weak as any enemy we set before God.
- THE VALLEY OF BERACHAH "BLESSING"
Instead of crying in fear of the enemy, they sang in praise of the Lord. They praised before the victory because even though it had not happened yet, victory was ensured the moment God had spoken it. Faith is the tunnel through which we receive blessing and the landing pad on which it arrives. Believe in a big victory, receive one. The bigger our faith, the bigger our blessing because as we hand more and more over to God, more and more is subject to His will. And God's will for His children is blessing. He waits to be invited as an authority over the details of your life... so that the details of your life become subject to His strength and wisdom. God will not take our will away; but when we pray for His will to override our own, suddenly every detail is tailored for blessing.
God won that battle for Jehoshaphat and Judah. Not only were they not destroyed by it, they gained from it. Only God can so perfectly arrange for us to benefit from situations and people that plotted to harm us. With God on the battle field, we will always reap from it valuable things and lessons and opportunities we would have missed if we tried to fight on our own. That defeated army left behind all kinds of valuables which gladdened and reinforced the kingdom of Judah. They therefore named that place The Valley of Berachah, the valley of blessing.
Indeed it was a blessed place. We stand in a blessed place, wherever we are, when we stand before God in faith. The strength of God on behalf of His children became known to the nations around them. Suddenly little Judah did not appear so weak, and neither will you. The kingdom became quiet with rest all around. They were at peace... not because they managed to outmaneuver their enemy but because God had. They kept their eyes on God instead of the enemy, instead of on the boisterous wind, and they resulted in victory.
In the midst of the battle, in the middle of a tumultuous sea, fix your eyes on God.