2Chronicles 20:1-3 It happened after this that the people of Moab with the people of Ammon, and others with them besides the Ammonites, came to battle against Jehoshaphat. Then some came and told Jehoshaphat, saying, “A great multitude is coming against you from beyond the sea, from Syria; and they are in Hazazon Tamar” (which is En Gedi).And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD
When Jehoshaphat found himself up against a threat from the nations of Moab and Ammon, his first reaction was not unlike what our own reaction is when we are up against a serious threat, fear.
Then Jehoshaphat did something else that most of never think of doing, “he set himself to seek the Lord and gather the people to sit before the the Lord“
When fear was all around him, when the enemy was greater in power than his own, Jehoshaphat did the most powerful thing that he could do, nothing.
He took his fear and his problem to the Lord and cried out to Him for help. Now either this was the most impotent and cowardly act a man could do or it was the bravest and most intelligent act that a man could do. In this world people value confrontation, power and great self effort. In the Kingdom of God, the most powerful weapon that person has is the wisdom to do nothing and simply wait on the Lord.
When Jehoshaphat brought his problem to the Lord, the solution was not only unconventional, it was completely unheard of in any human battle plan.
2Chronicles 20:15 And he said, “Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the LORD to you: ‘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.”
“Stand Still and see the salvation of the Lord“. No way, stand still and do absolutely nothing? That is correct. When the Lord agrees to help us with our battles, He does so without our help. His instructions to us, Just stand still, do nothing, nada, zip, zero. Just stand still and watch the Lord work.
The reason He will not let us help Him. It is not so much that He doesn’t need us, though He doesn’t require our assistance. The reason the Lord doesn’t allow us to help Him is that if He gives us a place in the battle and then the battle succeeds, we will begin to believe that we had something to do with the success of the battle. The Lord has never shared His glory with any man, and He never will. Salvation is of the Lord and it has nothing to do with anything that we can do, because there is nothing that anyone can do to save their self. When battles occur the Lord consistently points out that what He needs us to do is just sit back and watch Him work.
As Jehoshaphat receives his final instructions from the Lord as to how the battle is going to be won, the most surpising step of all occurs.
2Chronicles 20:21 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the LORD, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying: Now when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated.
At the front of the battle array of men for Jehoshaphat were possitioned the singers and the musicians. They led the battle by praising and singing to the Lord. When the enemy heard this heavenly sound they were confounded and confused and the Lord’s men were able to ambush and destroy their army.
Do you have a battle to fight, an obstacle to overcome, something seemingly insurmountable that appears impossible to overcome? Possition yourself and stand still, then begin to praise and sing to the Lord and watch the obstacle fall and the enemy be defeated.
The weapons of our warfare are not of this world, they are in the heavens where our great God dwels and from where every enemy and obstacle is overcome.
Rob Robinson
