"O LORD,
God of our fathers, are you not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the
kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can
withstand you. O our God, did you not drive out the inhabitants of this land
before your people
"But now
here are men from
The king's prayer is bathed in praise, as ours should be today as well. He also reflected the problem, but did not say it was a problem for God. He wraps up the prayer by admitting that he can do nothing without God, so they await His decision. His "eyes" are upon God, as ours needs to be when the armies of the world march against us. The answer from God was to not worry about the coming invasion because the battle is not yours, but the Lord's. This is another lesson we can still apply today in our daily lives. When it seems that the obstacles coming against us are overwhelming we should reflect to God in praise and prayer, with humility and remember that ultimately, the battle is the Lord's. King Jehoshaphat goes even further though the next day when the battle would occur:
After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the LORD and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying:
"Give thanks to the LORD,
for his love endures forever."
As they began
to sing and praise, the LORD set ambushes against the men of Ammon and
If the king had relied upon his own understanding of the situation he would have despaired or even retreated. Faced with overwhelming odds the king reflected to God in praise and prayer and upon being assuaged, the king did not flinch in his belief in what God can do. He went to war with assigned people singing the praises of God ahead of his armies. The result? God confounded the enemies and they destroyed each other. The faith of the king and the praises to God led the way as the battle was won by God for His people.
That is how God expects us to give thanks as well. It is easy to be thankful when everything is going well. It is the testing times of faith where we need to still be praising God. Remember Paul and Silas praising God at midnight even though they were in stocks after being severely flogged. The resulting earthquake released them from their shackles. Many Christians today find themselves in shackles after life has flogged them for some time. Buried in their situations and unable to see the way out of the battle, God is saying to praise Him! The praise breaks the shackles! The praise sets you free!
Are your eyes upon Him in the midst of your problems today? Perhaps you have forgotten that the battle is the Lord's. Perhaps you have allowed your circumstances to dictate your praise, or lack thereof. God is saying to you today that it is His will for your life to give Him thanks in all circumstances. It is not His will for you to be flogged and beaten by life. It is not His will for you to live your life in shackles. Bathe your prayer in praise today and remember that what is impossible for man, is always possible with God. That is His will for you today in Christ Jesus. Hallelujah!
Anthony Wade February 21, 2008
