THE KEYS TO VICTORY

One of the most amazing battles recorded in scripture is the one in (2 Chr 20:1-30). Here we see King Jehoshaphat surrounded by three of Israel’s bitterest enemies, the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir. They had only one intention, and that was to eliminate the people of God. How many times have we seen the near extinction of God’s people, only to see God come through for them in some miraculous way? There seems to be three keys that led to their victory, 1/ fasting, 2/ prayer, and 3/ praise. We will consider these three things separately and see what we can learn

1/ In verse 3 we read “and Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a “fast” throughout all Judah. This was a “proclaimed fast” which included the whole nation. Fasting is not a tool to manipulate God to accomplish something. Fasting is simply an outward indication of an inward sincerity. These people were serious, because they felt their life depended on it.

2/ The second key was the prayer offered by the king for all the people, as recorded in verses 4-12. This prayer was much like other prayers offered by Daniel and Nehemiah in the OT, and acknowledged God as the great protector and deliverer of His people in the past. The essence of his prayer from verse 12 is “for we have no power---nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon you.” This is a good model prayer for us to follow whenever we are surrounded by enemy forces!

3/ The third key given to them was the vital place of praise in their battle against their foes. Real direction and encouragement came to them from a prophetic word given by a young Levite worship leader. “Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s”. There were other instructions given as to how they were to go out to battle with the worship leaders before the army. The next day when they carried out the instructions completely, we read in verse 22, “Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, and they were defeated”. In verses 17 and 20 they were told to position themselves, stand still and see God’s salvation, believe in the Lord, and be established. See (1 Peter 5:10) for a good word on being established and strengthened in the Lord from the NT.

Sincerely submitted.

Gramp