Today, I was studying the passage in 2 Chronicles 20, when Jehoshaphat receives news that there are armies coming to kill him and take the kingdom of Judah.
In verse 2 he was told, “A vast army is coming against you from Edom…” We often receive this kind of warning in our lives, whether it be in the physical or spiritual realm (or both). Bad news. Bad news comes, often. Verse 3 tells us Jehoshaphat was alarmed (naturally so). And verse 4 says he and the people of Judah came together and decided to seek the Lord. They knew exactly where to go.
Jehoshaphat then prayed a memorable prayer, and ended it with a beautiful line in verse 12: “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on You [God].” He looked to the one who could keep him in perfect peace (Isaiah 26:3-4).
The Lord answered through Jahaziel saying: “This is what the Lord says to you, ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the vast army. For the battle is not yours but God’s. Tomorrow, march down against them…You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out and face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.'” (v. 15-17).
The Lord fought for them, and verse 30 says, “And the kingdom of Jehoshaphat was at peace, for his God had given him rest on every side.”
I pray that this week, as we face: bad news, anxiety, pain, and all this sinful world offers, that we may know where to go; that we may say “we do not know what to do, but our eyes are on You,” O Lord.
The absence of fear comes from trust in an Extraordinary Love.
The righteous will not be moved because they rest in His hands. Our battles will glorify our Father in heaven who gives us victory, and more importantly, the stories are memorialized in the books in heaven. Through Him, we overcome.
The enemy flees from the name of Him in whom we trust.
Our eyes, God, are on You.
GABRIELA YARELIZ 