BATTLES
Scripture: 2 Chronicles 20:1-34 (Amplified version)
Romans 8-39
by Marcie Schultz
What battle are you facing? Is it health issues, marital strife, rebellious children, financial distress, depression, addiction, persecution at work? In all battles, God is more than able to give us victory. However, we must think SUPERNATURALLY, not in the natural world. We must live with expectant faith, meaning that we trust God to fulfill His word and act on our behalf in all circumstances.
We must not even consider that He might not want to fight on our behalf. After all, are we not His children? Are we not his righteousness through the blood of Jesus? Are we not His beloved? Didn’t He create us in the beginning? Doesn’t he know our name? Isn’t He the father of “good gifts”? Aren’t we grafted into his family? Aren’t we healed by His stripes? Isn’t His will for us to have abundant lives? There is absolutely no reason that He will not fight our battles. Our problem is that we limit God. But there is a Biblical solution, and it’s found in the example of the king of Judah, Jehoshaphat.
In 2 Chronicles, it happened that Judah was to be invaded by a “great multitude” from across the Dead Sea. We are going to use his prayer and his example in the passage to learn how to rely on God to fight our battles.
Here is the prayer that Jehoshaphat prayed.
O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven? And do you not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations? Power and might are in Your hand, there is no one able to take a stand against You.
O our God, did You not drive out the inhabitants of this land (Judah) before your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Your friend Abraham?
They have lived in it, and have built You a sanctuary in it for Your Name, saying, If evil comes on us, or the sword of judgment, or plague, or famine, we will stand before this house and before You (for Your Name and Your Presence is in this house) and we will cry out to You in our distress, and YOU WILL HEAR AND SAVE US.
Now behold, the sons of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir; whom You would not allow Israel to invade when they came from the land of Egypt (for they turned away from them and did not destroy them) [Deut 2:9] here they are, rewarding us by coming to drive us out of Your possession which You have given us as an inheritance.
O our God, will You not judge them? For we are powerless against this great multitude which is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on You.
After Jehoshaphat’s prayer, the Spirit of the Lord came upon a prophet, a Levite of the sons of Asaph. He said “Listen carefully, all you people of Judah, and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and King Jehoshaphat. The Lord says, ‘Be not dismayed at this great multitude, FOR THE BATTLE IS NOT YOURS, BUT GOD’S. Go down against them tomorrow. You need not fight in this battle; take your positions, stand and witness 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’.
Then the king and all Judah fell down before the Lord, worshipping Him and the Levites stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel, with a very loud voice.
The next day Jehoshaphat said, “Hear me, O Judah, and you inhabitants of Jerusalem! Believe and trust in the Lord your God and you will be secure. Believe and trust in His prophets and succeed”.
Jehoshaphat appointed those who sang to the Lord and those who praised Him in their holy (priestly) attire, as they went out before the army and said, “Praise and give thanks to the Lord, for His mercy and lovingkindness endure forever.”
WHEN THEY BEGAN SINGING AND PRAISING, the Lord set ambushes against the invaders, and they were struck down and defeated. The enemies had destroyed themselves by the hand of God. When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take their spoil, it took three days to gather it all!
When they returned home, they came to Jerusalem with harps, lyres, and trumpets to the house of the Lord and praised him for victory.
In Summary:
- Identify your battle parameters
- Pray, giving glory to God, expecting Him to hear you and to fight on your behalf
- Hear from God what, if anything, you are to do
- Praise God for victory (loudly!) before the battle
- Take the steps God directs during the battle, which God will fight
- Praise God for victory after the battle
Today, our battles may look a bit different, but God is the same yesterday, today and forever, and we have been grafted into His family! Modify the prayer of Jehoshaphat to fit your circumstances.O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven? And do you not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations? Power and might are in Your hand, there is no one able to take a stand against You. O our God, have you not proven Yourself over and over in Your Word? Are you not El Elyon (The Most High God), Abba Father (Daddy God), Jehovah Rapha (The Lord Who Heals You), Jehovah Jireh (The Lord Will Provide), Jehovah Raah (The Lord is My Shepherd), King of Kings and Lord of Lords? Is there anything you can’t do? We will cry out to You in our distress, and YOU WILL HEAR AND SAVE US.Now behold, Your daughters are in need of healing, relationship repair, financial relief, healing from depression, deliverance … .O our God, will You not overcome our needs? For we are powerless against the circumstances which are coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on You.In the name of our Savior, Jesus, Amen
Romans 8:28 Amplified Bible (AMP)
28 And we know [with great confidence] that God [who is deeply concerned about us] causes all things to work together [as a plan] for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His plan and purpose.
Romans 8:37-39 Amplified Bible (AMP)
37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors and gain an overwhelming victory through Him who loved us [so much that He died for us]. 38 For I am convinced [and continue to be convinced—beyond any doubt] that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present and threatening, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the [unlimited] love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.