Last week I was reminded of a passage of scripture that has had a profound impact on me.....2 Chronicles 20. This is the story of Jehoshaphat, the ruler of Judah, and the armies that were bearing down on him. When he knew that these armies were coming to do battle against him, Jehoshaphat was scared. Chapter 20 verse 3 says that he, "set himself to seek the Lord and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah." If you continue to read in this chapter, you will find Jehoshaphat's prayer for God's help. In verse 20, he offers his humility, he confesses his ignorance and admits his dependence on God.
"For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us;
nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You."
"For we have no power against this great multitude...." -- Jehoshaphat verbalized his humility. He realized there was no way he could conquer these armies on his own. This scripture hit me hardest was when I was faced with my own "army". One phone conversation knocked the wind out of me. It left me feeling like everyone was against me. Although literal armies weren't knocking on my gates, I did feel the pressure of being overtaken and defeated. My first reaction was to scream and fight and pitch a fit. I wanted to jump up and down on my soap box and shout my opinion and tell everyone off. But... I realized, in the position I was in, there was no power I had against these "armies".
"...nor do we know what to do..." -- Jehoshaphat confesses his ignorance. He stated, as the leader of the nation of Judah, he didn't know what to do. Can you imagine the humility it took for Jehoshaphat to make that statement? He was praying this prayer in front of a large audience. They had gathered from all the cities to seek the Lord. And they heard that their leader was at a loss.
When I hung up the phone and the dust settled from the conversation that left me in a wave of emotion, I found that any action I wanted to take seemed wrong. I didn't know what to do. I didn't know where to begin, how to respond or how to process all that I was feeling. I remember grabbing my journal and scribbling all my feelings on paper. I wrote sentences that described deep emotion, hurt and even feelings of betrayal. I felt there was nothing I could say to this "army" that would make any difference. I was beyond frustrated and helpless. I was choked by the screams of anger in the back of my throat. I didn't know how to handle it.
"....but our eyes are upon You." -- Jehoshaphat admits his dependence. He knew that he couldn't defeat this army. He didn't know what to do about what lurked on the other side of the city walls. But what Jehoshaphat did was the smartest move he could make....he kept his eyes on God. In verse 13, it says, "Now all Judah, with their little ones, their wives and their children, stood before the Lord." They all stood there waiting for God's response. I love that image. They threw themselves at the feet of God clearly stating their incompetence. And Jehoshaphat said that they didn't know what else there was to do, but wait for God. Literally, when he said, "but our eyes are upon You." it is as if Jehoshaphat was saying that they are going to stand there, eyes to the heavens, waiting for God to come down and do something........and stand before the Lord they did!
When I was scribbling away in my journal, scrawling words of frustration, anger, defeat and rejection, this scripture came to me. I remember pulling out my Bible and through tears running down my face, reading this chapter. The example of Jehoshaphat led me to close my journal entry with these words...."God, I am not sure what to do in this situation. Everything I think I should do seems wrong. So, I am going to not do anything, but wait on You to lead me to do what is right."
I got up from that frantic writing session and waited and fasted and prayed and waited some more.
The best part of the story is that God is faithful! He was faithful to Judah and Jehoshaphat with a promise in verse 15, "Do not be afraid, nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God's". It goes on in verse 17, "You will not need to fight this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you....."
If you continue reading this chapter you will discover the incredible ending of this story. Jehoshaphat and Judah were saved from their enemies. The victory is rather miraculous. The point that I took away from this story, in my own circumstances, was that most times, I need to wait, keep my eyes on God and let Him do the fighting. To often when a "battle" rises up in our lives we go into warrior mode. We start positioning ourselves to go up against the challenge, the foe, the enemy. And occasionally we might experience some sort of victory. But how many battle scars could we avoid, or worse, how many loses could we turn into victories, if we would learn to stand before the Lord and keep our eyes on Him. He has promised to fight the battle for us. He has shown time and time again that He is our salvation and our victory. Can't we trust Him enough to put aside our battle plans and stand to our feet, with eyes to the heavens, and wait.
The end of my story is not as miraculous as Jehoshaphat's but it was one for the victory column. I waited for a day or so when I felt that God had shown me how to handle the situation. I was able to return the phone call with a calm heart and a peace of mind. Had I been left to my own doing, I would have started a raging fire of hateful words and hurt feelings. More than likely, relationships would have been destroyed. But waiting made all the difference in my heart and mind. The battle was already won before I even picked up the phone. I know God worked in the hearts of those on the other side. I believe the battle was also won in my own heart as I worked to give control to God and not react out of emotions. Even my husband said that he was shocked that I didn't scream and yell. Maybe it was a miracle after all!
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