You Don’t Need to Battle – Just Stand and Listen

“O our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon You. . . . This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.'” (2 Chronicles 20:12,15)

I suffer from a rare condition and have done a lot of research as my own advocate on my diagnosis and treatment journey. I have often said to my husband, “I just don’t know what to do next.” My husband once directed me to this story of King Jehoshaphat.

The people of Judah are about to be invaded by a vast army with which they cannot compete. In response, Jehoshaphat gathers the people together to seek the Lord. While the situation looks grim and they don’t know what to do, they choose to seek God rather than sit around and worry.

The Spirit of the Lord tells them the battle is the Lord’s and they don’t need to fight, but rather to stand firm and watch God save them from their attackers! The Lord not only destroyed their enemies for them, but He also greatly blessed them with all their enemies’ goods. In fact it took the Israelites three days to gather all that the Lord gave them through this victory!

This passage really convicts me because I often find myself fighting so hard instead of relying on God like I should. No matter what I do or don’t do, God is the one who is fighting for me. I believe that God is in control yet I often feel like I need to somehow control the situation too.

The encouraging thing is that nothing I have done or ever will do can frustrate God’s plans. He is reigning and His will will be accomplished for my life. Praise God that none can withstand Him! The “victory” may not always look the way we would like, but if God is fighting for us we can always trust the battle’s outcome.

Prayer: Lord, help us to seek You no matter how daunting the situation and trust that You will fight our battles.

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Kari is a young wife and mother of a busy toddler. After ministering to those suffering from HIV/AIDS and living in Africa she is learning personally that pain has a purpose.