HealingStrong's Around the Word

Episode 34 - The Jehoshaphat Series: Faith in Uncertainty (2 Chronicles 20:5-12 NIV)

• HealingStrong • Episode 13

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We explore King Jehoshaphat's powerful prayer during a national crisis and discover a timeless model for approaching seemingly impossible situations with faith and humility.

• Jehoshaphat's prayer begins by acknowledging God's sovereignty and power, much like the Lord's Prayer
• When praying, it's powerful to remind God of His past faithfulness and promises
• The king openly admits to his people, "We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you"
• This vulnerable approach to leadership sets an example for followers to also trust God
• Acknowledging our limitations opens the door to experiencing God's limitless power

Suggested Resources:

BIBLE PLAN - Trusting God's Plan in the Battle: Lessons from the Life of Jehoshaphat

PODCAST - Genesis to Revelation Bible Reading

TOOLS - Refresh Your Spirit through God's Word


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Speaker 1:

He's humbly saying we don't know what to do, but we know you know what to do, and our eyes are all upon you.

Speaker 2:

We're trusting you, Lord hey there you're listening to Healing Strong's Around the Word. We're friends sitting around the table who love the Lord and we love digging deep into His Word. Each day I'll read a Bible passage and then we'll chat about what we're learning from it. Today I'll be reading 2 Chronicles, 20, verses 5 through 12 from the NIV version of the Bible. So join us around the Word. 2 Chronicles, 20, verses 5 through 12.

Speaker 2:

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.

Speaker 2:

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. That was our Bible passage for today, so now let's listen in on what Susie, angie, jeff and myself were learning around the word.

Speaker 3:

Jehoshaphat stood among them as they gathered at the new court of the temple and prayed this prayer. So picture that in your mind. Let's go to Jerusalem. The king of the country stands before the people on the front of the temple and speaks with his voice. He prayed this prayer, and what does he pray? My translation says O Lord, God of our fathers, the only God in all the heavens, the ruler of all the kingdoms of the earth, you are so powerful and so mighty. Reminds me of the Lord's Prayer the words from Jesus, Matthew 6 through 9. Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

Speaker 2:

Oh, my goodness, I never noticed that. I never noticed it until just then.

Speaker 3:

But when you're facing a great enemy. This is a perfect prayer for help and it mimics very closely what Jesus told his disciples in the Gospel of Matthew.

Speaker 4:

But he also reminded the Lord that power and might are in your hands, so that no one could stand against you. And did you not, oh God, drive out the inhabitants of the land before your people, israel, to give it to the descendants of Abraham, your friend forever?

Speaker 2:

Reminding a promise.

Speaker 4:

Reminding a promise, quoting scripture, back when we're in prayer. Don't be afraid to go back and remind the Lord what his word says, because that ties us in with the Lord and he wants us to turn to him in adversity. And Jehoshaphat never expressed doubt in the Lord. He reminded the Lord. I know who you are and I remember you from your past, and so now we're coming to you.

Speaker 3:

I love it, that's just. You know it's letting the Lord know that we believe, and we know what's happened in the past was because of what the Lord did. So you know the Lord's just seeking our belief. He just wants us to believe in the promises he's already made for us.

Speaker 2:

We have our own Egypt experiences ourselves. Each of us has something that the Lord has done in our lives and we can recall that. Look at that time when God did something amazing for you and recall that back to Him, you know, because he has the ability to do even bigger and better if he wants. Notice also that he is stating the problem. What's going on here too?

Speaker 4:

Right, and he is reminding the Lord that these are the enemies that Israel back, when they were walking through the deserts with Moses, that they were not allowed to defeat them. And so he's reminding them we could have taken care of them back then, but you didn't want us to, so we didn't engage them, we didn't eliminate them. And so now they're coming at us and are you going to reward them for us not eliminating them early on, for us not eliminating them early on? So now we're in need of your help to defeat our enemies that they're familiar with.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, and he says it's so great because he says we don't know what to do, you know so he's been seeking the Lord. He's been telling everyone seek the Lord. We know that. He says we don't know what to do, but our eyes are upon you and so they are just facing. I mean he's humbly saying we don't know what to do, but we know you know what to do, and our eyes are all upon you. We're trusting you, lord.

Speaker 4:

It's okay not to know what to do. It's okay to be not okay. And so he goes to the Lord and leads. I just love that as one of the subjects of his kingdom looking at the king crying out. As a parent, when you're going through difficult times, bring your family together and pray. Let them see your vulnerability, no-transcript, and that will guide your children and your family. When you're not around, they will turn to the Lord, just like you, and this is just sowing seeds of a devotion wholeheartedly to God.

Speaker 2:

What an amazing word from Jeff on that. I love that. I love families coming together and being honest and transparent and saying, hey, we do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you. Nations can do that too Leaders, leaders of businesses, teachers and us as individuals. During our day, we act like we're faking it till we make it.

Speaker 2:

But let's be honest, guys, most of us just don't know what to do, and I'm just saying we've got a great place to go, and that's to the Lord, and this is a great example of it in his word with Jehoshaphat and what the people of Israel did in this dire situation. Thank you so much for joining us for Healing Strong's Around the Word podcast. I hope you are encouraged to seek the Lord out literally to seek Him out to find out what is the best plan for you, and go ahead and join us next time for more discussion around the Word. If you wanna know more about healingstrongorg, just check out our website, where you'll find out about our mission and our awesome community groups. Until next time, remember, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.