The Jehoshaphat Principles

Dated August 12th, 2012

The road of life can be scary, and it can be extremely fearful. Worries mount up, and we toil over them day and night until we have exaggerated them out of proportion. In my own battles and trials, the road has been, at times, rough, but, Dear Heart, be glad…He is with you and He will never forsake you. How do I know this? Let me share scripture found in II Chronicles 18. The account goes like this: Jehoshaphat was the king of Judah at this time and he had a million-man army. However, his neighbors banded together to attack him. It is said that the combined number of this particular army could have exceeded millions. It, of course, was more than the army of Jehoshaphat. Word came to Jehoshaphat that these armies were coming towards him. What could he do? Dear Heart, there is not much he could do. He could leave Judah, but what about all of his people?

What Jehoshaphat decided to do was to go against the grain….he prayed. He called all the people together for a huge prayer meeting. They fasted, praised and prayed. When Jehoshaphat called them all together, he recounted God’s goodness and power. He didn’t begin pleading, “God, what are we going to do?” He began praising. He focused the people’s attention on just exactly who God is. During this prayer, he magnified the Lord’s name. He affirmed what the Lord could do. He then said, “We don’t have the might, and we don’t know what to do.” Now, I don’t know about you, but just think about it, here these armies are getting ready to encroach upon them, and he says, “We don’t know what to do.”

Now, Dear Heart, God loves for His people to be in this position. There is no other direction . . . no other way but His way. Oh, yes, they could have screamed, cried, jumped up and down, tried to hide themselves, but the problem would still be there when they finished their antics. Instead, they believed in God and what He could do and would do on their behalf.

The Word of the Lord came to one in the congregation. The Lord instructed him to tell the people, “Do not be afraid or dismayed. The battle is not yours, it is mine. I will fight the battle for you.”

Jehoshaphat and his people believed in God’s word. He knew that He would take care of them. Jehoshaphat simply told him, “Our eyes are set upon you.” The Lord gave them simple instructions….to go down the mountain and wait there for the armies to start coming up. While they were waiting on them, Jehoshaphat appointed singers, and the singers led praise to the Lord God. They stood still and waited.

It seems when they looked down the mountain, each side had fought the other side, until all the men of the armies were dead. Jehoshaphat and his people did not lift an arm. They were obedient to the Lord and had the faith that He would do as He said he would.

They went out to gather the spoil from the armies. It took three days to gather it altogether. Now, think about that. Jehoshaphat had one million men, so if one million men were out in the field going through all the stuff, can you imagine what they were coming away with?

Jehoshaphat and his people praised and worshipped the Lord.

Now, how can we apply this to our situation? Dear Heart, simply by following the principles of Jehoshaphat. What are his principles?

First, we note that he did not succumb to fear. His situation was extremely fearful. How many of us have an army of millions heading towards them? Dear Heart, I know this is an extreme situation, but we are told about it to strengthen our faith. If God can do an enormous feat such as this, what can He do with your situation? My situation? Our situations are not as gigantic. But, even in the gigantic situation, he is faithful. If He can be trusted in the big things, surely he can be trusted in the smaller things. Our small things are big things to Him. He doesn’t see them as being trivial.

He prayed, fasted, and praised. He worshipped the Lord while the going was getting rough. This goes against everything that we have learned. If someone is after you, you either fight or run. Not this guy. He knew the Lord was in control. He knew they were going to be victorious. How did he know this? He had faith. He affirmed who the Lord is. Isn’t He the creator of the universe? Did He not make everything? Doesn’t He own cattle on a thousand hills? Is He bound by circumstances? No, not at all. Jehoshaphat did not look at the circumstances. He kept his eyes on the Lord. He knew his circumstances were bleak, but He knew who he served. He led the people in a huge prayer meeting. I would think that everyone in the country came to this prayer meeting. They knew that He was their Hope.

When we praise the Lord and worship Him, He will answer our prayers. He instructed Judah not to engage in any battle. He didn’t want them to get puffed up and proud. He wanted no one to say that Jehoshaphat’s people scared this huge army off. Nothing they were instructed to do entangled them in any phase of this battle. All they were to do was to obey, stand and watch. That is exactly what they did. The Lord fought this battle. Not one of Jehoshaphat’s people lost their lives. No one was injured. All they did was praise and stand; they did exactly what the Lord told them to do.

The Lord answered their prayers in a miraculous way. I’m sure they didn’t know how He was going to do it…they just knew He was going to do it. And, he did. They knew He was on their side. They knew he was going to intervene on their behalf.

When the battle was fought with not one of Jehoshaphat’s men involved in the battle, praise was voiced throughout the country.

Now, what does this say for us? We can take these principles and apply them to any situation we may have. It may look like there is no way our situation can be turned around, but take a look at this record, look what He did on behalf of His people. Our hope is in the Lord. He wants us to have faith to believe that He is able to work all things for His glory and His honor. Why do we need to fear? Why do we think things are hopeless? Dear Heart, when you know the Lord, you have all that you need. His answer may not look like your answer. I’m sure Jehoshaphat had no clue that this is the way the battle would be fought. Actually, the battle was fought on their knees.

What about you? Do you have a situation that you feel is hopeless? Look to the Jehoshaphat principles and you will be encouraged. When God’s people pray, He listens. Nothing of earth trumps His Word. He is Lord over all. Isn’t this a wonderful place to be? So, instead of succumbing to fear, pray. Call other people to pray with you. Praise and worship Him. Fast. Recall His mercies. Pour out your heart to Him. He will answer you. It is not your battle; it is the Lord’s battle. If you believe His promises, He will raise you up. You will get to witness a great moving on your part. If He tells you to do something, do it. Stay your post. Go to work, do the things you normally do, even though you are doing it with a heavy heart. Watch and wait. He will move in your life like you have never seen before. Once you witness this, your relationship with Him will never be the same again. You have glorified the Lord with your faith and He will make you stronger. Don’t ever forget this trial; ask Him to not let you forget what He has done in your life. Praise and worship Him. These are the Jehoshaphat principles.