“…This is what the Lord says:  Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. Tomorrow march out against them… But you will not even need to fight. Take your positions; then stand still and watch the Lord’s victory. He is with you.”

King Jehoshaphat did not always do everything right. In fact, in the previous chapter we read about how he made God angry by aligning himself with some wicked people. However, the scriptures say the Lord still found good in Jehoshaphat because he had removed pagan shrines and proclaimed the Law of the Lord throughout Judah. We turn the page only to discover three of Judah’s neighbors have conspired together and are marching towards Judah for war. The story told in Chapter 20 is a mighty display of God’s power to act on behalf of those He loves. I encourage you to take some time and read the chapter for yourself.

Upon learning the armies from Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir had joined together to attack them, King Jehoshaphat immediately called upon the Lord and asked for guidance. He called together the community to the Temple and proclaimed a time of fasting and prayer. Seeking God’s help, Jehoshaphat was quick to remind God, and his own people, of God’s past faithfulness and promises to save and protect. It is after this mighty prayer that the Spirit of God comes upon a man in the crowd named Jahaziel. Jehaziel approached the king and shared the word he received from God – that, they are to prepare themselves for battle, march, and then simply watch and wait upon the Lord. Obediently, in faith, Jehoshaphat did what Jahaziel had said. Judah armored up and went out to face the enemy. When they arrived at the top of the pass, they could see the massive armies of their enemies below in the valley. The king then gathered men to walk ahead of his army and sing praises. “This is what they sang: give thanks to the Lord because His faithfulness and love endures forever.” At the very moment Judah begins to sing, scripture tells us that God confused their enemies, and the three armies began attacking one another until there was no one left standing. Judah stood at the top of the valley, standing still in awestruck amazement as they watched their God defeat their enemies.

Hidden away in Chapter 20 are some powerful lessons of truth.

God desires your obedience. Jahaziel told the King to prepare yourself for battle. Then to go out and face your enemy. The armies of the enemy were massive. This battle, if fought in human strength, would be a sure defeat. Yet, in faith, the King and his men put on their armor, prepared the battlements, and marched. If the Lord did not show up, this battle would be their last. But Jehoshaphat believed God. Faith requires obedience. You cannot have one without the other. The demand of faith to be obedient will always come before the reward of faith. Otherwise it would not be faith. So, Judah, faced with impossible odds, put on their armor and went out for battle in obedience. Likewise, Paul tells us to put on the full armor of God so that we can stand against the attacks of the enemy (Ephesians 6:10-17).

God desires your attention. In my walk with God, I have come to understand He likes to “show-off,” but not in a prideful, arrogant way like we show-off. No, when God shows-off, it is because He wants to express how much He cares about us. His showing-off is always for our benefit; and it will always be to the disaster of those who oppose Him. I think the interesting thing to realize is that God is always showing-off. We are just too busy to see it. In our story, God instructed the men of Judah to stand and watch. The army was ready for battle. It would have been tempting to go ahead and fight. In fact, when faced with conflict, we tend to want to take matters into our own hands. The problem is that once we start moving in our own energies, we most likely will miss what God is doing. God wants your attention. He wants to show you the lengths He will go to protect and defend His own. Be careful about being so busy fighting your own wars that you fail to stop and watch what God is doing. Be obedient. Stand still and watch.

God delights in your praise. Jehoshaphat formed a praise team and they started singing songs of thanksgiving to God. The scripture says that as soon as the men began to sing, the Lord began fighting their enemies. This is what I have come to know as Praise Warfare. We fight our battles by taking them to the Lord, laying them down at His feet, and giving Him praise through our thanks. There is real supernatural power in singing praises of thanks. “…in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:4-7).

God desires your victory. How did God win the war for Judah? He brought confusion upon their enemies. This confusion caused the three armies to begin fighting each other, until no one was left standing. The army of Judah got a front row seat to watch God dismantle and destroy those who opposed them, because they were obedient to God’s instruction and faithful to believe and give thanks.

God wants to give you the plunder. After God defeated Judah’s enemies, they collected the plunders of the battle for three entire days. When the army got home, all the nations were afraid of Judah, because of what God had done for them. Here is the truth: God not only wants to fight your battles, but He wants to bless you incredibly through each battle.

This is how we must fight our battles: We must take them before the Lord. We must be ready and prepared to go to war. We must stand and watch. We must give Him Praise. We will only have true victory when we live in a state of obedient surrender before God. “For the battle is not yours, but God’s.”