Don’t Wait ‘Til It’s Over… Shout Now | There’s Power in Your Praise, Pt. 5
You never know where the victory God wants to bring about in your life will come from if you insist on fighting according to your strategy. - Pastor Charlie Dates
2 Chronicles 20:1-30
1-4
Now it came about after this, that the sons of Moab and the sons of Ammon, together with some of the Meunites, came to make war against Jehoshaphat. Then some came and reported to Jehoshaphat, saying, “A great multitude is coming against you from beyond the sea, from Aram; and behold, they are in Hazazon-tamar (that is Engedi).” Jehoshaphat was afraid and turned his attention to seek the Lord; and he proclaimed a period of fasting throughout Judah. So Judah gathered together to seek help from the Lord; they even came from all the cities of Judah to seek the Lord.14-22
1Then in the midst of the assembly the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, the Levite of the sons of Asaph; and he said, “Listen, all you of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and King Jehoshaphat: This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Do not fear or be dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours but God’s. Tomorrow, go down against them. Behold, they will come up by the ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the valley in front of the wilderness of Jeruel. You need not fight in this battle; take your position, stand and watch the salvation of the Lord in your behalf, Judah and Jerusalem.’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow, go out to face them, for the Lord is with you.”Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the Lord, worshiping the Lord. The Levites, from the sons of the Kohathites and from the sons of the Korahites, stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel, with a very loud voice.
They rose early in the morning and went out to the wilderness of Tekoa; and when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: Put your trust in the Lord your God and you will endure. Put your trust in His prophets, and succeed.” When he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who sang to the Lord and those who praised Him in holy attire, as they went out before the army and said, “Give thanks to the Lord, for His faithfulness is everlasting.” When they began singing and praising, the Lord set ambushes against the sons of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; so they were struck down.
Some of us have been trying to fight our enemies using our own strategies and tactics. We think we know what’s best so we try our own thing. Then, when we come to the end of our own resources, we realize we should talk to God.
When you go to God for instruction on how to fight the trouble and enemies that are facing you, God will likely tell you to do something that makes no sense to you.
God works in opposites. With God:
To be honored, you need to humble yourself.
To receive, you need to give.
To see victory, you need to stand still.
To receive all He has for you, you don’t need to work, you need to trust.
You have to open your heart and trust what God is saying because what he is going to say to you won’t make sense.
In the text, these people hear that a multinational, trans-Jordan coalition is coming after them. They are outnumbered and have no time to prepare. The king is scared.
He goes to pray and calls the people of the land together to fast and seek the Lord. As he’s praying, the Spirit of God speaks to one of the Levites, Jahaziel, and tells the king not to fear. God says it’s not their fight. All they have to do is stand and watch Him defeat their enemies.
Cultural Context
Why were the Ammonites, Moabite, and Edomites a problem for Jehoshaphat in the first place?
They were nations near Canaan when the Israelites went to conquer the Promised Land. Jehoshaphat is upset because the Israelites let the other nations go when the Israelites conquered the territory, but now the other nations are coming to bother them.
The Ammonites, Moabites, and Edomites aren’t just near in geographical terms, they are also near in lineage.
Ben-Ammi (from whom the Ammonites descend) and Moab are the sons of Lot’s daughters who took advantage of Lot to conceive their sons (Genesis 19:30-38).
Edomites are the descendants of Esau, Jacob’s brother (Genesis 25:19-34).
The next day they go up to meet their enemy. And instead of putting the strong military forces at the front of the army, King Jehoshaphat takes the equivalent of the worship team and puts them up front.
Their military strategy is to face their enemy while singing.
As they are standing there, singing praises to God, the people who came to fight them are fighting each other!
When they get done singing and their enemies are done fighting each other, they leave with the enemies’ spoil. They didn’t have to fight and they left rich.
You can move the heart of God to fight the battles in your life when you let your own heart announce in worship your dependence upon him. God is moved by your worship.
God can do for you what you cannot do for yourself.
There’s a two-step formula for overcoming your enemies:
Step One: Prayer
Step Two: Praise
It’s that simple, yet half of us don’t do it.
Embrace Your Weakness in Prayer
Three times in the first four verses in chapter 20, they sought the Lord. Jehoshaphat was afraid and turned to the Lord.
That’s the right response to fear.
A lot of us would never seek God if it had not been for the trouble in our lives.
Even Jesus had to pray to get through life.
Prayer is the Basic Admission of your Humanity
You’re saying “I can handle this on my own” when you don’t pray.
But they sought the Lord in this text because the Lord had told them that if something happens “and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14).
And when they pray, God speaks.
You’re waiting to hear from God, but God is waiting to hear from you. And when He hears from you, He’ll start talking. Be sensitive to the next song that comes on the radio, to the next phone call you get, to the next preaching you hear. Expect God to answer when you pray.
When you look at God in scripture, God answers when people pray.
You experience God’s strength by shouting now.
The thing that is holding up your deliverance is not just prayer, but your lack of reckless abandonment in praise.
There is something about power in your praise that releases the power of God.
Reflection Questions
In what areas of your life have you been relying on your own strategies instead of seeking God’s guidance?
How can you cultivate a habit of prayer and praise during challenging times?
What does it mean to you to “stand still” and trust God in the face of adversity?
Reflect on a time when you experienced God’s provision or victory through worship. What did that teach you?
How can you actively apply the principles of prayer and praise from this sermon in your daily life to overcome obstacles?