{Alene and her grandson}
In 2016, I faced the most challenging battle of my life when the enemy of our souls moved in to destroy my marriage. My whole world shattered into a million pieces, and I was desperate for help! I was filled with fear and grief. My first instinct was to run to the Lord. I needed to see and know firsthand just how God was going to help me. In his kindness, he met me in so many new ways. A dear friend led me to read 2 Chronicles 20. I was amazed the first time I read this and was encouraged and fortified many subsequent times by this passage.
This chapter tells the story of righteous King Jehoshaphat leading his people as they faced not one, but four armies about to wage battle against them. Jehoshaphat was afraid; I was afraid. Jehoshaphat “set his face to seek the Lord” (v. 3); I sought the Lord. Jehoshaphat fasted; I fasted. What sweet instruction from the Lord as to how I should fight my battle!
Then Jehoshaphat called all the people of God together “to seek help from the Lord” (v. 4). In a similar way, I called all my Christian sisters in the Lord to pray and seek the Lord with me in this hard battle. I was not alone in the fight; I had God on my side and an army of praying sisters as well.
The king cried out to God in prayer before his people: “(We) cry out to you in our affliction and you will hear and save” (v.9). His prayer came from his troubled heart, but he knew who could save them. Jehoshaphat told the Lord, “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you” (v. 12). This became my mantra. I didn’t know what to do, but God did.
As the Israelites were praying, the Holy Spirit spoke through one of the men, who prophesied, “Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God’s” (v. 15). He further told them, “You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf” (17a). What a comfort for me to know that this was not my battle, but the Lord’s! It was being fought on spiritual ground for my good.
The message from the Lord to the Israelites continued. He assured them that he would do the fighting and instructed them, “Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the Lord will be with you” (v.17). These words encouraged the people to not be afraid but instead to worship and praise the Lord (vs. 18-19). In a similar way, reading these words encouraged me to let the Lord fight the battle! It caused me to have peace and thanksgiving for such a wonderful God who walked with me through this crisis in my life.
God’s people had faith that God would do what he said he would do, so they marched to the battle not with weapons of combat but with praise and worship (v. 21). “And when they began to sing and praise, the Lord set an ambush against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, so that they were routed” (v. 22).
Praise and worship became my fuel to get through each day. As I worshiped, God battled on my behalf. I have to admit there were still times of fear, and I didn’t always experience the joy of the Lord, but I knew he was with me, equipping and sustaining me.
When the people of God arrived at the battlefield, all the enemy soldiers were dead! God had fought the battle. The people spent the next three days collecting the spoil left behind. This place was named the Valley of Beracah or Valley of Blessings.
As God continued to fight my battle, I had faith that blessings would result, and they have! God refined me through this fire. He did things in me and for me beyond what I could ever imagine. If you are going through a battle, please draw near to God. You might even consider 2 Chronicles 20. It helped me see that a strong, loving God is fighting on our behalf.
