When my boys were little, we aimed to teach them to obey quickly, quietly, completely and joyfully. (I could write for ages on this š) The point was to train their little hearts to obey dad & mom, so that when they grew older, they would have ears to hear & pliable hearts to follow the Holy Spirit.
Time & again Iāve found that parenting principles are much easier to to teach than to walk out myself š
When Iāve been in a season where it feels like Iām facing a massive army but am completely ill-equipped to do anything about it, I canāt say that Iād quickly, quietly, completely & joyfully follow the Lordās command to stand still... š³
I can relate to King Jehoshaphat when he cries out to God & says, āLord, we donāt know what to do but our eyes are on you!ā
There were three armies that had gathered against the people of Judah & Jerusalem...all hope seemed lost, that is until they fixed their gaze on the one who could do something about it.
Whatās amazing is that God encourages them by saying, āDonāt be afraid by this mighty army for the battle is not yours but Godās!ā
If I were the king, I would have let out a big, āPhew!ā But then, God gives a funny command.
He tells them to
šš½ March out against the enemy
šš½ Take your positions
šš½ & stand still
Wait, what??? I wouldāve had SO many questions! Why get our gear, why march and why the heck should we take position if we will not fight?
The king apparently had more faith than I in that moment, because it says EARLY (he obeyed fast!) the very next morning, Judah began their march. That alone is amazing, but the most astonishing thing is that he paused on the march, exhorted the people to believe & then ordered singers to walk AHEAD of the army, proclaiming praise & thanksgiving!
At the very moment they began to sing, the Lord caused division in the enemy camp, so much that they fought amongst themselves before King Jehoshaphat even arrived on the scene!
And when he did, it says that dead bodies were scattered across the ground as far as the eye could see! Not only did the Lord secure the victory, but the king & his people spent the next three days gathering vast amounts of equipment, clothing & valuables.
Letās be like the Israelites who obeyed quickly, quietly, completely & joyfully as they trusted God!
May our shouts of praise & thanksgiving lead the way for His victory to be seen in our lives. God, we trust You & entrust any hard or heavy circumstances unto Your care this morning. Be glorified through our childlike trust in You!
July 27th One Year Bible Readings
š”2 Chronicles 19:1-20:37
š”Romans 10:14-11:12
š”Psalm 21:1-13
š”Proverbs 20:4-6
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