March 14, 2020's devotional thought was brought to us by Pastor Kevin Brown. The thought was taken from 2 Chronicles chapter 20. Please take time to read the entire chapter. Below we have included a portion of the scripture reading, which is the prayer of King Jehoshaphat.
Then Jehoshaphat stood up in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem at the temple of the Lord in the front of the new courtyard and said:
“Lord, the God of our ancestors, are you not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you. Our God, did you not drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend?
They have lived in it and have built in it a sanctuary for your Name, saying, ‘If calamity comes upon us, whether the sword of judgment, or plague or famine, we will stand in your presence before this temple that bears your Name and will cry out to you in our distress, and you will hear us and save us.’
“But now here are men from Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, whose territory you would not allow Israel to invade when they came from Egypt; so they turned away from them and did not destroy them. See how they are repaying us by coming to drive us out of the possession you gave us as an inheritance.
Our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”
When we read analyze the story of King Jehoshaphat, focusing on his prayer, there are four points, or strategies, that we are encouraged to take away, and add to our daily lives.
Pray
Fast
Inquire
Praise
The battle is not ours. It is the Lord’s and God is in control. If man were in control, this ship would have crashed a long time ago. But it is because of the mercies of God that we are not consumed. It is because of God’s mercies that this ship is afloat. It is because of God’s name that He has to defend that we are even in charge or participating in this cause. God doesn’t need any of us, but He would rather rush us than use the rocks and the stones. God would rather use a human instrument. So the battle is not ours, but it is the Lord’s.
We do not pray, fast, or praise enough. We are usually inquiring, asking God to do things for us. But we must increase in the combination of all four (prayer, fasting, inquiry, and praise). We have to be consistent in our praise. Consistent in our fasting. Consistent in our prayers, and consistent in our fasting.
With all the things going on, we might receive bad news. But when we look at the story of King Jehoshaphat, we see a blueprint that we can use. In his prayer, he asked God what strategy he should use. Even as a king, he was aware that there was nothing he could do without the power of God. We should therefore, take note, and know that as we live in this world, we must seek God, as ask Him what we should do, and how we should do it.
Remember always, that the battle is not ours. Let us consistently, individually, as a family, and as a church, PRAY + FAST + INQUIRE + PAISE.
Happy Sabbath!
