Judah Invaded
20 Now it came about after this that the sons of Moab and the sons of Ammon, together with some of the [a]Meunites, came to make war against Jehoshaphat. 2 Then some came and reported to Jehoshaphat, saying, “A great multitude is coming against you from beyond the sea, out of [b]Aram and behold, they are in Hazazon-tamar (that is Engedi).” 3 Jehoshaphat was afraid and [c]turned his attention to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. 4 So Judah gathered together to seek help from the Lord; they even came from all the cities of Judah to seek the Lord.
Jehoshaphat’s Prayer
5 Then Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord before the new court, 6 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. 7 Did You not, O our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel and give it to the descendants of Abraham Your friend forever? 8 They have lived in it, and have built You a sanctuary there for Your name, saying, 9 ‘Should evil come upon us, the sword, or judgment, 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.’ 10 Now behold, the sons of Ammon and Moab and [d]Mount Seir, whom You did not let Israel invade when they came out of the land of Egypt (they turned aside from them and did not destroy them), 11 see how they are rewarding us by coming to drive us out from Your possession which You have given us as an inheritance. 12 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.”
13 All Judah was standing before the Lord, with their infants, their wives and their children.
There are a few things we can learn from Jehoshaphat’s prayer of distress. First, remember God is in control, as he says “…are You not God in the heavens? And are You not ruler over all the kingdomes of the nations?” Indeed, God never ceases to be in control, and this is a reminder for our own forgetful minds of who God is.
Second, remember God’s promises. Jehoshaphat here recalls the promise God made to them in the days of Solomon, that if they would turn to the temple and call out to Him in distress, that he would hear and deliver them. Likewise, there are many promises that can apply to all sorts of situations, and we need only turn to God’s own Word (the Bible) to find them. For example, “cast your cares on Him, for He cares for you.”
And lastly, I love how Jehoshaphat closes his prayer, “…nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are on You.” Things in this world look a lot different when our eyes are focused on God instead of our problem. When we focus on God, our perspective shifts. So next time you find yourself in a trying time, remember God is in control, remember His promises, and though you have no idea what to do, focus on God.