Among the many visually rich stories in the Bible, the account recorded in 2 Chronicles 20 holds a special place in my mind.
Thousands of men, women and children gathered at the Jerusalem temple in fear because a massive horde of pagan warriors was marching to Jerusalem to conquer the city and surrounding lands.
King Jehoshaphat knew that his army was too weak to fight off the attackers and called for a national prayer service with as many people as possible joining him at the church building.
The king could have just had a prayer service with his spiritual advisors and then sent the soldiers against the hate-filled foes.
But he knew that this extraordinary threat required an extraordinary response from the people of the Southern Kingdom.
That’s why they needed to come to church to join him in fasting and prayers to the only One who could save them.
What follows the king’s words is striking in its simplicity and vividness.
“All the men of Judah, with their wives and children and little ones, stood there before the LORD” (v. 13).
The inference is very clear from the verses that follow. The people were overwhelmed with the enormity of the threat and the desire for guidance as to what they should do.
They didn’t shout at the king about the need to buy more weapons, or send out the special forces squads or send out a bunch of extortion money to appease the marching marauders.
They stood and listened. They ignored the grumbling of their fasting stomachs. And they almost certainly stood and prayed.
After a preacher reminded them of God’s authority and record of providing victory, they began to worship God
As in fall down and worship God.
They believed God’s promise to bring victory to them as long as they brought praise to Him.
That’s exactly what happened. The stood singing on the hills of Tekoa and had a praise service while God turned the enemies against one another.
Though they didn’t know how they were going to defeat the pagan army, they knew the One who could.
They gave God what He wanted.
God gave them what they needed.
Sometimes we face challenges that we don’t know how to conquer. Sometimes we know how to respond but we don’t have the resources on hand to succeed.
That’s when it is time to stand before the Lord at church or with a smaller group of believers. That’s when it’s time to tell God, “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”
That’s when it’s time to start singing praises to the Lord for the blessing of a victory He will provide in His timing for His glory.
Oh, by the way, because of the humble trust toward God, great blessings came to those who earlier thought they were “toast.”
Hmmmm….. God is SO good.
Let’s keep our eyes on His Word and our ears pointed toward His voice at all times. Though we might not know what to do, God does. And according to our faith and His plan, He will.
As always, I love you
Martin
