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For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. II Chronicles 16:9
Unlike Asa, King Jehoshaphat took delight in the ways of the Lord. When a great multitude came against Judah from beyond the sea, Jehoshaphat along with all Judah, were afraid and fearful. He "set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout Judah," II Chronicles 20:3. I see three things in his prayer as he is in the house of the Lord.
1 -- He recognized who and what God was. He gave Him credit for being ruler over all the kingdoms of the earth. "In your hand is there not power and might, so that no one is able to withstand you." He gave glory to God for being the Sovereign Lord and Ruler of the universe.
2 -- Jehoshaphat recognized the dire strait they were in, and their complete dependency upon God. They humbled themselves and confessed their inability to deliver themselves out of the situation.
3 -- They laid their need and request before their God and asked Him for deliverance. "O our God, will you not judge them? 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," II Chronicles 20:12.
God loves to receive praise and credit for what He does; if you think about it, we all do! His honor and glory are magnified by working for His people who serve Him from the heart and worship Him in spirit and in truth. II Chronicles 20:22 says, "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."
Exactly how much did God do; to what extent did He fight for His people? Verse 24 says, of those who came to attack Judah, no one had escaped (they were all killed). In contrast to this, verse 27 says, "Then they (the Jews) returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem (not one died) with Jehoshaphat in front of them, to go back to Jerusalem with joy, for the Lord had made them rejoice over their enemies."
Through the praise of His people, God's name was exalted and His Glory was increased. The people around them recognized what God had done. "And the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of those countries when they heard that the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel," II Chronicles 20:29. God loves to show Himself strong on behalf of His people; those who truly love and want to serve Him. The truth of this Old Testament account can and should be applied in our lives today.
A certain family was in a bad situation, lightning had struck several places close by. They were now without power and telephone; no water for showers, no electricity to cook food, and no one could call in or out on the house phone. A pole had been struck nearby sending splinters flying forty feet. What had been affected by the strike; would they need to dig up the lines to the house? No one knew, but they decided to pray and ask God to intervene.
God graciously answered their prayer, it was discovered that very little damage had been done. In a few days the family had power and the telephone was restored with minimal cost and labor. God was glorified by working on behalf of His people. He received the honor, glory, and the credit for answered prayer as the family gave testimony to the power of God and His goodness.
Are you asking God to work on your behalf; are you calling on Him in times of trouble? He loves to work for His people because His glory is increased as people see His authority and power exercised over circumstances in our lives.
"Call upon Me in the day of trouble;
I will deliver you,
And you will glorify Me."
Psalm 50:15
Comments or questions, contact me at: thoughtsonword@gmail.com
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Lyndon Stimeling, of Richfield, has been writing about faith and family for many years. He has self-published three books, "Common Thoughts on The Word" in 2016 and "Eye of a Needle" in 2017 and "Common Thoughts on The Word II" in 2019. He has also had articles published in The Coming Home Journal and local newspapers and has written a children's book.