BY DAWN REED
There were lots of scary things to see on Halloween. Vampires, Ghostface, scary clowns, Michael Myers, and zombies walked the streets as kids raced house to house for sugary stuff sure to cause cavities.
We don’t have to watch horror movies or visit a haunted house to be frightened. Life is plenty scary all by itself. Sickness, financial woes, marital problems, elections, and government shutdowns can have us shaking in our shoes.
The Bible is filled with scary stories – true tales of when life was terrifying and there was no way out but God. Second Chronicles 20 may be my favorite.
Not one, but three armies were coming to wage war on Judah. Verse 3 tells us Jehoshaphat (the king) was alarmed. I reckon. Those armies weren’t coming over for tea, but to deliver a big-time beatdown.
Realistically, the Moabites, Ammonites, and Meunites had banded together to wipe Judah off the map. Jehoshaphat had plenty to be alarmed about.
It’s OK to be alarmed, scared or afraid when trouble comes. What we do next is crucial.
First, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the LORD. He determined to ask the LORD what to do. (Smart guy, that Jehoshaphat.) Next, he proclaimed a fast for all Judah. Then, he stood up at the temple, right in front of everybody, and prayed.
Jehoshaphat reminded God who He was and what He had done in the past. He explained their very big and life-threatening problem. At the end of the prayer, he spoke words we can keep forever to use when we, too, are in trouble: “For we have no power to face this…We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on You.” God was their Plan A. There was no Plan B.
That day, there was 100% participation. Second Chronicles 20:13 says all the men of Judah, their wives, children, and little ones stood there before the LORD. They waited for His answer.
Suddenly, the Spirit of the LORD came on a guy never mentioned before: Jahaziel. He had words straight from heaven. They were good words. He began with, “Do not be afraid or discouraged…”
Jahaziel went on to say that the battle was not Judah’s, but God’s. They would not have to fight the battle, but would need to take up their positions, stand firm, and see the deliverance of the Lord.
Jehoshaphat had prayed; God had answered. So, what did the people do? They fell down and worshiped Him. They had not been delivered. The armies were still on their way. Yet, all the people of Judah thanked the LORD.
Reading the rest of the chapter, we find that God delivered Judah in a most spectacular fashion. Early the next morning, the people went out singing praises to God. (They had not been delivered yet. The armies were still on their way.) As they began to sing and praise, the LORD set ambushes against the enemy armies. The bad guys rose up, attacking and killing each other! When the men of Judah arrived, they saw only dead bodies lying on the ground; no one had escaped.
What are you facing that has your heart racing and knees buckling? Follow Jehoshaphat’s footsteps straight to the LORD. Soak up the words of Jahaziel and claim them for yourself: “Do not be afraid or discouraged…Take up your position; stand firm and see the deliverance of the LORD.”
Let God be your Plan A, no matter how scary the situation.