God Will Fight for Us

“What are we gonna do?”

So often, men and women (and especially guys) see a problem and immediately want to go fix it. That can be a noble ambition, when it is tempered with God’s wisdom and grace. I can remember quite a few times in my life when my trying to fix things actually made them worse. But God’s mercy covers, and He is always ready to help us through our troubles when we trust Him to do so.

Right now, Americans (and believers around the world) are at a crossroads in many ways. Yet, there have been other times in our nation’s history of great trial and affliction. There have also been movements of a “spiritual awakening” from the five-senses information and worldly perspectives in those difficult times. We don’t need more “fact checkers,” we need more truth believers. And one of the great truths we need to believe is that God will fight for His people.

He has already done all that He can for the world by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins and bring eternal life. If you would like to spend some valuable (and I hope enjoyable) time, please go to this link.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDfHLwI2DnIOhlY6UPYuHdg/videos

I teach every verse in the Church Epistles and share practical insight on how to walk by the spirit in joyful fellowship with our heavenly Father. It also includes links to articles on our blog for further study.

Jehoshaphat’s Example

One of my favorite true historical events is when Jehoshaphat (and the people he led) trusted God to fight for His people and overcome their enemies. Does this scenario sound familiar?

• An alliance of evil and powerful men bound themselves together to attack and destroy citizens who loved God.
• They colluded to frighten and then politically overcome those who had done their best to live for God.
• These enemy forces, backed by the Devil’s worldly might, seemed to have the upper hand to shortly wreak havoc on the nation.

Here are some of the details of what happened.

II Chronicles 20:1-4 [James Moffatt Translation]:
It was after this that the Moabites and Ammonites, with some of the Meunim, made war on Jehoshaphat. Word came to Jehoshaphat that a huge host was moving against him from Edom, over the Dead Sea, and that they were already at Hazazon-tamar (or Engedi). Jehoshaphat was afraid; he resolved to have recourse to the Lord, and proclaimed a fast all over Judah. So Judah assembled to seek help from the Lord; people came from every town in Judah to worship the Lord.

I remember traveling from Engedi to Jerusalem when we visited the Bible lands. They are not that far away from each other. Death and destruction were imminent. But God’s people went to Him for help, trusting in His goodness and love. Jehoshaphat was a faithful leader who trusted that God would keep His promises.

II Chronicles 20:5-12 [James Moffatt Translation]:
And Jehoshaphat rose in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, before the new court in the temple of the Lord, praying thus: “O Lord, the God of our fathers, are not thou God in heaven, and ruler over all realms on earth? Such power and might is thine that no one can resist thee. O our God, didst not thou evict the natives of this land before thy people Israel, giving the land to the offspring of Abraham thy friend, for all time? And they settled in it, they have built a sanctuary in it to thine honour, thinking that if evil befell them, the sword in judgment, or pestilence, or famine, they would stand in front of this temple and before thee (for in this temple is thy presence) and cry to thee in their distress, till thou didst hear and save them. Now here are the Ammonites and Moabites and folk from mount Seir, whom thou didst not allow Israel to invade, when Israel came out of the land of Egypt—no, Israel turned away from them and did not destroy them! Look how they reward us, coming to eject us from thy very own country which thou hast given us to be ours. O our God, wilt thou not deal with them? We are helpless against this mighty host that is attacking us; we know not what to do, but we look to thee.”

What a great heart! Jehoshaphat didn’t say that he had all the answers and would save the nation himself. He rehearsed the Lord’s loving promises to himself and other faithful citizens. This helped them trust the Lord to do what only He could do. Families were all involved, and God inspired a believer to speak encouraging words from Him.

II Chronicles 20:13-15 [James Moffatt Translation]:
All the men of Judah stood before the Lord, with their infants, their wives, and their children. Then Jehaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite descended from Asaph, was inspired by the spirit of the Lord in the midst of the gathering to cry, “Listen, all ye men of Judah, ye citizens of Jerusalem, and you, O King Jehoshaphat; the Lord’s message to you is this:

God, the Almighty Lord, has the ability and willingness to help us today. Just look at the Lord’s simple instructions.

II Chronicles 20:15-17 [James Moffatt Translation]:
‘Fear not, falter not before this vast army; it is for God, not for you, to fight them. March down against them to-morrow; they are coming up by the ascent of Haziz, and you will come upon them at the end of the ravine in front of the desert of Jeruel. You will not need to do any fighting; take up thy position, stand still, and watch the victory of the Lord, who is on your side, O Judah and Jerusalem. Fear not, falter not. Move out against them to-morrow, for the Lord is on your side.’”

He said, “You will not need to do any fighting.” So often, evil by nature will implode upon itself, and those seeking ultimate control and power will turn upon each other. The Bible shows many times when the Devil’s cruel nature (as he works through fallen angels that are now evil spirits) actually attacks itself. These evil forces are discomfited and God’s people are set free. That’s exactly what happened with Jehoshaphat and this God-seeking nation.

So much of our spiritual warfare (Ephesians 6:18) is prayer. We worship our mighty God, Who is our heavenly Father. Jesus Christ told us we could worship the Father in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). Look at how these believers turned in worship, knowing their God would help them in their time of need.

II Chronicles 20:18,19 [James Moffatt Translation]:
Jehoshaphat bent his head, face to the ground, and all the men of Judah and the citizens of Jerusalem fell down before the Lord, worshipping the Lord, while the Levites (Korahites belonging to the Kohath family) stood up to praise the Lord the God of Israel, at the pitch of their voices.

Sometimes people get discouraged and need to be reminded of God’s goodness and support. Many Americans today don’t realize, or have never heard, of the authority we have in the name of Jesus Christ to overcome our spiritual adversaries. That is the true hope and salvation for our country and any other nation. Jehoshaphat reminded the people how important it is to remember the words of God.

II Chronicles 20:20 [James Moffatt Translation]:
Next morning they rose and moved into the open country round Tekoa. As they advanced, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen, men of Judah and citizens of Jerusalem! Take hold of the Lord your God and you will keep hold of life; hold by his prophets, and you will prosper.”

Seeing God Come Through

As the people decided to trust God, and not try to use their own understanding and devices (Proverbs 3;5,6) to defeat so great an enemy—God brought miraculous victory.

II Chronicles 20:21-23 [James Moffatt Translation]:
After this council to the nation, he appointed the Lord’s singers to praise him in sacred vestments, marching in front of the army and chanting, “Give thanks to the Lord, for his kindness never fails.” As they began to sing and praise him, the Lord set men in ambush against the Ammonites, the Moabites, and the folk from mount Seir, who had attacked Judah, and they were routed. The Ammonites and the Moabites turned on the natives of mount Seir, determined to wipe them out; and then, after destroying the natives of Seir, they all helped to kill one another.

Should we stand around and do nothing? No! But some of the best things we can do are spiritual actions: prayer, speaking the truth in love, worshipping and trusting our heavenly Father for His help. We too, will see our enemies like “corpses,” unable to promote their evil any further. Not one of them will escape God’s judgment. And we can back off their evil effect today with God’s mighty power.

II Chronicles 20:24 [James Moffatt Translation]:
So when the men of Judah reached their post of attack looking over the open country, they saw the host were so many corpses stretched upon the ground; not a man had escaped.

We desire peace and unity and loving relationships for all those in the UNITED States. By trusting in God, and claiming the rights and privileges that we have in Jesus Christ our Lord, we will be at rest. And those around who wish to bring evil upon us, will hear of God’s deliverance in our lives, and slink away in cowardice. That is what Jehoshaphat and the people enjoyed.

II Chronicles 20:29,30 [James Moffatt Translation]:
And when the foreign countries heard that the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel, the dread of God fell on them all. So the realm of Jehoshaphat was undisturbed, for his God granted him rest on every side.

We have peace today in Christ.

Philippians 4:6,7 [James Moffatt Translation]:
Never be anxious, but always make your requests known to God in prayer and supplication with thanksgiving; so shall God’s peace, that surpasses all our dreams, keep guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Please see these blogs if you would like to learn more about God’s power and protection:

Trusting in God, Not Man (Part 1)

Trusting in God, Not Man (Part 2)

God is God

Our “Mighty Powerful” God