Jehoshaphat's Prayer

INTRO

God used the prophets to speak into the lives of the kings of Israel and Judah, and they responded. Even in the midst of troubling times, if you’re open to hearing what the Lord wants to say to you in that time, He will get you through it. There are times, however, when we shut the door to hearing because we say, “God, you’ve gotten me through those previous things, but I don’t need you now." The promise of 2 Chronicles 7:14 is that God will hear us when we humble ourselves and pray, seek His face, and turn from our wicked ways.

TEACHING

2 Chronicles 19: Jehu rebukes King Jehoshaphat (vv. 1-3). The rest of chapter 19 describes the reforms Jehoshaphat put into place to lead Judah back to the Lord. In this process, troubled times were coming in chapter 20.

2 Chronicles 20:1-4: The Moabites, Ammonites, and Meunites (from Edom) came to fight against Jehoshaphat. A vast number of enemies were already in the land of Judah. Jehoshaphat’s first emotion was fear. But right away, he quickly sought the Lord and proclaimed a fast for all of Judah. The fast would turn their focus from the enemy’s strength to the Lord’s strength. They followed the command in 1 Chronicles 16:11 to find their strength in the Lord. Psalm 14:2 says God looks down from heaven to see who seeks Him. They determined to seek God until He showed Himself in this situation (Hosea 10:12). Jehoshaphat has now gone from fear to faith. The people follow what Jehoshaphat modeled: they came from all the cities of Judah to fast, pray, and seek God.

2 Chronicles 20:5-9: Jehoshaphat began his prayer by reminding himself, his people, and God, that God alone rules over all the kingdoms of the world, so no one could stand against Him. In that prayer, Jehoshaphat shifted from fear to faith. He remembered that when Joshua came into the land, God cleared out the people (v. 7). Like the people before him, Jehoshaphat stood before the temple crying out to God who would hear and deliver them (v. 9). This was similar to the message to Solomon in 2 Chronicles 7:13-14.

2 Chronicles 20:10-12: Jehoshaphat reminded God that He had not allowed Israel to invade the lands of the Ammonites, Moabites, and Mount Seir when they came out of Egypt. It’s as if Jehoshaphat was saying, “Won’t You judge them now that they’re fighting against us?”

Jehoshaphat cried out to God that this was His problem to handle. Then Jehoshaphat admitted they didn’t know what to do, so they looked to God for help. This is an incredible definition of faith.

2 Chronicles 20:13-17: All of Judah (men, women, and children) stood before God. Then the Spirit of the Lord came on Jahaziel, a Levite, who said: “Listen carefully . . . [to] what the Lord says: 'Do not be afraid or discouraged.'” Jahaziel called them to go from fear to faith. Israel didn’t have to worry about this fight; it was God’s fight. He told them where to take up their position so they could stand and watch God fight for them. Notice that Israel actually had to move into a place of acting in faith in God. Psalm 46 says, “Stop your fighting—and know that I am God, exalted among the nations, exalted on the earth.” Jehoshaphat and Israel, by faith, could see the salvation of the Lord.

2 Chronicles 20:18-19: Jehoshaphat continued to respond in faith (not fear). He and all Judah worshipped God while the Levites, Kohathites, and Korahites praised God with loud voice.

2 Chronicles 20:20-23: Early in the morning, Jehoshaphat led the people out to the wilderness and challenged them to believe in God to see victory. He surrounded himself with godly counsel and appointed some to sing praises to God. When they began to shout praises, God ambushed and destroyed their enemies. God’s game plan, from the very beginning, was, “Trust Me!” When we walk in fear, nothing will change. But when we walk in faith, God shows up. To get to this position of faith, seek the Lord. In this case, God caused Jehoshaphat’s enemies to turn against each other until all were destroyed.

2 Chronicles 20:24-26: When Judah looked for the enemy armies, they saw nothing but corpses. Jehoshaphat and his people gathered plunder from their enemies for three days until they could carry no more. On the fourth day, they gathered in the Valley of Beracah and praised the Lord.

2 Chronicles 20:27-28: Jehoshaphat and the men of Judah returned to Jerusalem and worshipped the Lord in the temple.

All throughout Scripture, God asked people to do ridiculous things. Joshua led the Israelites to march around the city in the conquest at Jericho (Joshua 6:1-5). Naaman washed in the Jordan River seven times to be healed of his leprosy (2 Kings 5:1-19). When we walk by faith, God shows up. Jesus told Peter he would find the coin to pay taxes in the mouth of a fish (Matthew 17:27). The disciples fed 5,000 men with a little boy’s lunch (John 6:1-15). Walking with the Lord is the most radical, ridiculous adventure you will ever find in your life. Do you trust that He’ll show up as you walk? When you move from fear to faith in seeking the Lord, things don’t have to make sense.

CLOSING

An article called “Strange Bible Instructions”¹says when you walk by faith, God doesn’t have to make sense; you simply have to obey the instructions. We have to realize that when God’s plan makes no sense to us, then it’s His plan. Further, we don’t have to understand what God’s asking us to do. We have to realize that God is God, and we are human. When we move from fear to faith, when we don’t know what to do but look to God, then God shows up. So please, walk by faith, and let God show up in the impossible.