How Prayer Changes the Outcome
By Dean Collins
Have you ever looked up and realized that your problems are significantly greater than your resources? Maybe it is significant shortage of employees to accomplish the job. Or maybe there is some legal attack on you or your business. Or it might be that the opposition to the good idea or policy far outweighs the votes you need to do what you believe is the right thing for your constituency. Individuals, families, businesses, churches, cities, and countries all experience challenges where the opposition or the problem is overwhelmingly greater than the resources to secure the victory.
In 2 Chronicles 20, King Jehoshaphat received this message from a reliable source:
“A great multitude is coming against you.”
The messenger knew for a fact that three great armies had combined their resources and were on their way to capture Judah. This was obviously disturbing news. The odds were impossible. King Jehoshaphat was afraid, but he did not let his fear lead to an impulsive decision or freeze him from deciding. The king did the very best thing anyone can do in a time of crisis. Jeremiah records that the king “set his face to seek the Lord and proclaimed a fast.”
God will always hear us when we call out for help. However, in this case, and in many cases in scripture, we see the saints of old begin fasting as they pray earnestly for God’s help and deliverance. The king also didn’t go solo with his prayer. He called all the cities in Judah to pray with him that God would intervene.
As Jehoshaphat prayed, he did something we might consider doing as well. The king reviewed God’s promises and quoted them out loud to the Lord in prayer.
“O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you. Did you not, our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel, and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend?”
God will never violate his word. When we repeat back to God what God has said, it helps us gain confidence in our requests to God. When we align with God’s word, we can be sure that we are praying within the will of our Father in heaven.
As with so many of the psalms, the king prayed humbly, admitting his and all of Judah’s weakness in handling the armies that were on their way. “For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”
We all have certainly been in moments like this before, and it is likely we will have other moments when we just have no idea what to do. We can’t even imagine a solution to the problem. In times like this, we can simply use these very words in our prayers.
The apostle Paul prayed a similar prayer in 2 Corinthians when he quoted the Holy Spirit, who spoke to him with this message: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Neither Jehoshaphat nor Paul suggested to God that they could handle what was in front of them. They simply admitted that what they were facing was bigger than they were, and they surrendered their weakness to the Lord. God honors our humility.
You can read chapter 20 to hear all the amazing details of how God saved Judah. God specializes in doing the impossible. And last I checked, our Father in heaven has not gone fishing or in retirement. He is active and willing to help us when we come to him in prayer.
Don’t be shocked or slighted if God bypasses you and gives another person in your community a word that changes everything. In this case God spoke to Jahaziel, the son of Zechariah, and sent a powerful message:
“Thus says the Lord to you, ‘Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God’s.’”
Jehaziel was clear that God was in charge of the outcomes. All the citizens needed to do was to go out to the battle with confidence that the Lord would be with them.
The next day, the outmatched army assembled, but the king placed the choir ahead of the army and instructed them to sing their songs of praise. As Judah lifted their voices and hands in worship, God intervened on behalf of his children. God sent an ambush against the armies. In the shock of the moment, the three armies began fighting each other and the opposing armies died on the battlefield, leaving three days’ worth of spoils for Judah to collect.
Our faithful God is never out of resources. He is never lacking for time to hear our prayers. He loves when his children come to him with all our problems, both large and small. And when we admit that we don’t know what to do, he promises to step in and guide us. He is our good shepherd who promises to lead us even in the shadow of the valley of death. Be comforted by his promises from Psalm 23:
“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.”
Father, our eyes are on you. Hear our prayers for help today as we come to you with thanksgiving for who you are and for all you have done for us in Christ Jesus. Today we claim the promise that the battle is not ours. Deliver us today. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Your Time with God’s Word
2 Chronicles 20:1-25 ESV
Photo by nega on Unsplash
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