Praise, Part 5 — A ‘Time With God’ Devotion

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Transcript

Good morning. We’re talking about praise this week, and today I want to take you to a great passage in 2 Chronicles chapter 20 in the Bible. And I want you to notice what a significant place praise had in this difficult situation. It says:

‘Now it came about after this that the sons of Moab and the sons of Ammon together with some of the Meunites came to make war against Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat was a godly king. Then some came and reported to Jehoshaphat saying, a great multitude is coming against you from beyond the sea out of Syria, and behold, they are in Haazon Tamar, which is in Gedi. And Jehoshaphat was afraid. That was his instinctive reaction. And he turned his attention to seek the Lord. That was his second instinct. And proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. He asked everyone to fast and pray in response to this circumstance.

So Judah gathered together to seek help from the Lord. They even came from all the cities of Judah to seek the Lord. And Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem in the house of the Lord before the new court, and he said, O Lord, the God of our fathers, are you not God in the heavens? And are you not ruler over all the kingdoms of the nations? Power and might are in your hand so that no one can stand against you.

Did you not, oh our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people, Israel, and give it to the descendants of Abraham, your friend forever. And they lived in it and have built you a sanctuary there for your name, saying, should evil come upon us, the sword or judgement or pestilence or famine, we will stand before this house and before you, for your name is in this house and cry to you in our distress, and you will hear and deliver us. And now behold the sons of Ammon and Moab and Mount Sayer, whom you did not let Israel invade when we came out of the land of Egypt. Behold how they are rewarding us by coming to drive us out from your possession which you have given us as an inheritance. O our God, will you not judge them, for we are powerless before this great multitude who are coming against us. Nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are on you.

He didn’t know what to do, but he knew who to trust.

And all Judah was standing before the Lord with their infants, their wives, and their children. Then in the midst of the assembly, the spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel, the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaya, the son of Jael, the son of Mataniah, the Levite of the sons of Asaph.

So the Spirit of God came on this guy, and he said, Listen, all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat, thus says the Lord to you. Do not fear or be dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours but God’s. Tomorrow, go down against them. Behold, they will come up by the ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the valley in front of the wilderness of Jeru. You need not fight in this battle. Station yourselves. Stand and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not fear or be dismayed. Tomorrow go out to face them, for the Lord is with you.

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And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the Lord, worshipping the Lord. And the Levites from the sons of the Kohathites and of the sons of the Korahites stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel with a very loud voice, and the story goes then that they went out and when they met the enemy, Jehoshaphat put the singers in the front, singing praise and honour to God, and God caused such confusion in the enemy army that they destroyed themselves.

Praise. Focus on God. When you face difficult circumstances, put God first in your life and see what He does.

I’m John North.

To go deeper in your faith, visit AFCI.com.au.