“O our God, will you not judge them? For we have no might against this great company that comes against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon you.”
Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, felt overwhelmed. He, and Judah, were facing a mighty army from the Moabites and Ammonites. His prayer in this moment of seeming helplessness is a good reminder to us of how we should pray when we feel overwhelmed. (If you are like me, this is often.) The following is what we can learn from this prayer: We can give an honest appraisal of our situation as Jehoshaphat did: “For we have no might against this great company that comes against us.” Sometimes the might of the things that overwhelm us is in our imagination, but sometimes the threat is real. This was certainly true of Jehoshaphat and Judah’s situation. It is difficult for us to admit our weakness, but it is a good idea to know our limitations. According to Paul in Ephesians 6, we are at war with a formidable enemy – Satan. Satan also has a mighty army that seeks to overwhelm us. We just have to admit that we do not have resources to battle him without outside help. I am amazed at times at what human strength can do, but human strength is not all-powerful, and we need to give an honest appraisal of our own weakness. We won’t overcome this weakness until we do. We can make an honest confession of our own ignorance as to what to do. Jehoshaphat was by no means an ignorant man, but as smart as he was, he knew that his knowledge was not adequate to meet the great army that was coming against him. It is difficult for us to admit ignorance. We Americans take a great deal of pride in our knowledge. After all, today we have the internet, which literally gives us knowledge at our fingertips. But in this moral and spiritual battle that we are in, we just have to admit that it is “above our pay grade” to know how to outsmart Satan. He deals with us like he did with Adam and Eve. He makes sin look so good that it is difficult for us to refuse him. Satan is smart enough to make our sins seem small in comparison to the sins of other people. After all, we might think, “We do not commit adultery and we are honest in all of our dealings." But he sneaks pride in on us and we fall for it and downright feel good about it. It will do us good to honestly confess that we do not have the moral power, nor the mental capacity, to overcome Satan. He is to us like the Moabites and Ammonites were to Jehoshaphat and Judah. Which brings us to Jehoshaphat and Judah’s conclusion: They made an honest plea to the right source - “but our eyes are upon You.” The conjunction “but” is important here. In spite of the honest appraisal of the power of the enemy, and in spite of the honest confession of ignorance as to what to do about the situation, Jehoshaphat knew where to turn for help. The song, “Turn Your Eyes upon Jesus” comes to mind here. We need to set our eyes on the Lord Jesus Christ, who is our shield and help. We need to set our eyes upon the power of the Holy Spirit, who can enable us to overcome. We need to appeal to the love and power of God. Jehoshaphat’s was a smart move. Here is what God said to him in 2 Chronicles 20:15b: “Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s.” What comes to my mind here is that we just need to let God be God and do what only He can do. In Ephesians 6:10-18, Paul tells us about the “whole armor of God.” God has not left us defenseless in our battle against Satan. He is our greatest defense. It is a great comfort to know that “the battle is not (ours), but God’s.” What are you facing today? “Turn Your Eyes upon Jesus,” and trust Him to help you over, through or around whatever it is that you are facing. Bro. Joe
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AuthorDr. Joe Beauchamp is the author of this blog and website. Categories
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