Anytime we are in a seemingly defeated place, the best thing we can do is call upon the Lord and hear from Him. We must understand that the battle is not ours. God may deliver us differently in each circumstance, but He will deliver those who put their trust and faith in Him. God may call us to action, and oftentimes, that action may be only to “stand and see the salvation of the Lord.”
It’s important to remember that we do not wait to sing and praise the Lord until after the victory. Instead, we should begin before we even see God’s deliverance brought forth simply because we can trust in God’s Word. Then, we should continue worshiping after the battle is over.
2 Chronicles 20 is a wonderful record of this very thing. The very first thing that King Jehoshaphat did when he was faced with a terrible attack from their enemies was seek the Lord and proclaim a fast throughout all Judah. All the people gathered in the house of the Lord in the new court, and Jehoshaphat prayed to God expressing his realization of God’s power and the peoples’ inadequacies and dependency upon God (v. 1-13).
Then, the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel, and he spoke these words of the Lord to the congregation. He said, “Do not fear or be dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours but God’s…You need not fight in this battle; station yourselves, stand and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf…the Lord is with you (v. 14-19).”
The next morning, the people did as the Lord commanded. Jehoshaphat appointed people who would sing and praise the Lord in holy attire and go before the army. As they began to sing and praise, the Lord caused the enemy to begin to fight each other, until no one was left (v. 20-23). When Judah looked out over the wilderness, they saw only corpses. It took them three days to gather all the spoil because there was so much (v. 24, 25)
On the fourth day, they assembled and blessed the Lord with joy. They came into the house of the Lord with harps, lyres, and trumpets. All other kingdoms feared Israel because of what the Lord had done, and God gave his people peace and rest (v. 25-30)
The only way we can sing and praise the Lord during a battle...the only way we can be sure of a victory in the midst of a seemingly defeated situation...the only way that we can act in total obedience to God...and the only way that we can have a calm in the midst of a storm is to seek the Lord first and hear His Word. When we do that, then we can act as the people of Judah, and we can experience a true victory by nothing else but the work of the Lord.
Praise be to God for what He has done, for what He is doing, and for what He will do!
It’s important to remember that we do not wait to sing and praise the Lord until after the victory. Instead, we should begin before we even see God’s deliverance brought forth simply because we can trust in God’s Word. Then, we should continue worshiping after the battle is over.
2 Chronicles 20 is a wonderful record of this very thing. The very first thing that King Jehoshaphat did when he was faced with a terrible attack from their enemies was seek the Lord and proclaim a fast throughout all Judah. All the people gathered in the house of the Lord in the new court, and Jehoshaphat prayed to God expressing his realization of God’s power and the peoples’ inadequacies and dependency upon God (v. 1-13).
Then, the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel, and he spoke these words of the Lord to the congregation. He said, “Do not fear or be dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours but God’s…You need not fight in this battle; station yourselves, stand and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf…the Lord is with you (v. 14-19).”
The next morning, the people did as the Lord commanded. Jehoshaphat appointed people who would sing and praise the Lord in holy attire and go before the army. As they began to sing and praise, the Lord caused the enemy to begin to fight each other, until no one was left (v. 20-23). When Judah looked out over the wilderness, they saw only corpses. It took them three days to gather all the spoil because there was so much (v. 24, 25)
On the fourth day, they assembled and blessed the Lord with joy. They came into the house of the Lord with harps, lyres, and trumpets. All other kingdoms feared Israel because of what the Lord had done, and God gave his people peace and rest (v. 25-30)
The only way we can sing and praise the Lord during a battle...the only way we can be sure of a victory in the midst of a seemingly defeated situation...the only way that we can act in total obedience to God...and the only way that we can have a calm in the midst of a storm is to seek the Lord first and hear His Word. When we do that, then we can act as the people of Judah, and we can experience a true victory by nothing else but the work of the Lord.
Praise be to God for what He has done, for what He is doing, and for what He will do!