This is a part 2 post. Please read Part 1 - Jehoshaphat’s Prayer before reading this one.
2 Chronicles 20: 14-17
(vs.14) Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly.
(vs. 15) And he said, “Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the Lord to you: ‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.
(vs. 16) Tomorrow go down against them. They will surely come up by the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the brook before the Wilderness of Jeruel.
(vs. 17) You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see 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.”
While Jehoshaphat was the one who prayed, all the people who were gathered together for this time of fasting and prayer didn’t leave as soon as their king was done conversing with the Lord. They stood patiently before the Lord waiting on His response to their pleas.
The Spirit of the Lord came upon one man who was standing in the middle of this great assembly.
God told His people not to be afraid, not because the threat of war wasn’t real, but because the battle they were facing was the Lord’s. He would fight on their behalf. Even though it was the Lord’s battle, this didn’t mean that Judah could sit back and do nothing. They still had to participate in the battle.
God knew the attacking armies’ strategies and prepared Jehoshaphat accordingly. While they did not need to actively fight in the battle, they still had to position themselves in the battlefield and stand still through faith, knowing that God would fight for them.
What was the outcome?
God had the enemies defeat each other, while the inhabitants of Judah looked on from their positions. They only had to collect the spoils of war after all the armies were extinguished.
How does this apply to us?
Even though Jehoshaphat was a successful ruler and a good war strategist, he still took the time to fast and pray in his time of need. He knew that with all these armies coming at him, there was no way he would succeed or Judah would survive without God.
Jehoshaphat’s prayer is a great formula for our own when conversing with God. He started by praising God and reminding himself of God’s works. He then stated his need and full dependence on God.
Because of his steadfast faith and that of his people, God answered immediately and took care of the whole situation. God encouraged them to trust in Him and not be afraid of the situation they were in.
In the end, their victory was assured by God and happened exactly as He said. They stood still and saw the Lord’s salvation on their behalf. Their enemies destroyed themselves and Judah was able to collect the spoils.
