I was impressed deeply when I read Jehoshaphat’s prayer this morning in my devotional. He is pressed by a great horde of enemies since several nations have joined forces against Judah. So, he prays to the Lord and this is part of His prayer.

Sometimes, I feel as though “a great horde” is attacking my soul. Battle follows battle, whether it is for my health, a death in the family, a beloved one’s struggles with their health, or the spiritual battle that I face daily inside my heart as my husband spouts off the latest bad news from our unspiritual and ungodly leaders. All of these together combine to make a great horde in my life. You probably have a number of attackers as well. It is the life we live…God gives us peace in the battles but He does not promise that we won’t have to face conflicts.

What is the solution? Jehoshaphat offers that as the verse continues. We need to admit that we don’t know what to do. Confess to God that we have done all that we know how in our finite minds and yet still we are beset by the enemy and feeling that defeat may be coming. Then, we just have to be still and keep our eyes on God. Jehoshaphat did not say, “Okay, let’s gather a large army against them and all of our best weapons. “ No, he waited and kept his eyes on God. If you open II Chronicles 20 and read it for yourself, it says:

”You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.’ Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the Lord will be with you.”“
‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭20‬:‭17‬ ‭ESV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/59/2ch.20.17.ESV

These are the words from the Lord to the people as they stood waiting for Him after hearing Jehoshaphat’s prayer. So, how did the victory come?

”And when they began to sing and praise, the Lord set an ambush against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, so that they were routed.“
‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭20‬:‭22‬ ‭ESV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/59/2ch.20.22.ESV

The LORD set an ambush against the enemies. He stepped into the middle of the fray and He defeated them.

What can we learn from Jehoshaphat’s prayer? First of all, our enemies are many and powerful. As a conservative Christian, I look around at all that is happening, shake my head and cannot believe that I am still living in America. But if we admit that we are powerless, that God has all of the sovereignty and it is ultimately His battle, then we can rest in His promise to bring the victory. We don’t know how or when it will come, but it is on its way as long as we are waiting on the Lord and admitting that we don’t know what to do or have the power to do it. Then, as we wait, we keep our eyes firmly on the Lord. As the news gets worse, we can believe with our whole hearts that God will not be mocked. Even as the ungodly proclaim their dominion over our nation (like saying Roe v. Wade will be the “law of the land”), God is working behind the scenes to come into the battle and ambush the enemy in an unexpected way. I don’t know how or when this will happen. And I hate that some of our own leaders are enemies of God, but I do know that He wins in the end, so I am keeping my eyes on Him.