Where do you turn when trouble comes? Jehoshaphat was afraid, it’s not surprising 3 of the superpowers of the day were coming against him in battle! (2 Chronicles 20). What did he do with his fear? He set his face to seek the LORD. He turned towards the LORD and not away from him. He led the whole country in seeking the Lord, proclaiming a fast in the whole land. Three times we are told he and all the people sought the LORD. What a great example to us, it’s natural to be afraid, but what do we do with our fear, Jehoshaphat shows us we should seek the Lord. His prayer is written down for us, and we can learn a lot from three questions that Jehoshaphat asks.
1. Are you not God in heaven? (v6)
What a helpful way to begin prayer, reminding yourself who you are praying to – God in heaven! What a privilege to speak to God in heaven, and because of Jesus to be able to call Him Father. As the superpowers march up against him Jehoshaphat reminds himself of the true superpower who is on his side – God in heaven.
2. Did you not give this land? (v7)
Next Jehoshaphat reminds God of his promises to Abraham. God had given this land to Abraham and promised that if they got in trouble and called out to Him, He would answer. It’s great to know God’s Word, and pray it back to Him. For us today, the land is not Judah or Israel, but the promised land is the new heaven and new earth. We can remind God of other promises, “Lord, you know what I’m facing, thank you for your promises to always be with your people and work for our good, please may I know you with me at this time, please may I know you are working for good.”
3. Will you not execute judgment? (v13)
The third question is one the king prays for the protection of His people. How should we pray this? Jesus taught us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. He also taught that when he returns He will bring justice, so we can leave justice to Him. As we pray “your kingdom come” we can pray that more and more people would stop resisting Jesus and submit to Him as their loving King. There may be times that it’s right for the church to join in the martyrs prayers in Revelation 6, praying “how long before you will judge”?
God wonderfully answers Jehoshaphat by sending a prophet who tells him “do not be afraid…the battle is not yours but God’s.” What a wonderful thing for him to know, and for us to know, if we belong to Jesus we can know the battle belongs to Him and just as the Lord delivered Judah He will ultimately deliver us.
Light and Momentary Troubles 
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