Have
Faith In The Lord Your God And You Will Be Upheld
Then
the Spirit of the Lord came on Jahaziel son of
Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a
Levite and descendant of Asaph, as he stood in the assembly.
He
said: “Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This
is what the Lord says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this
vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s. Tomorrow march down against
them. They will be climbing up by the Pass of Ziz,
and you will find them at the end of the gorge in the Desert of Jeruel. You will not have to fight this battle. Take up
your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you,
Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face
them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.’”
Jehoshaphat
bowed down with his face to the ground, and all the people of Judah and
Jerusalem fell down in worship before the Lord. Then some Levites from the Kohathites and Korahites stood up
and praised the Lord, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice.
Early
in the morning they left for the Desert of Tekoa. As
they set out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem!
Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his
prophets and you will be successful.” After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat
appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his
holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: “Give thanks to the
Lord, for his love endures forever.”
As
they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon
and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and
they were defeated.
2 Chronicles 20:14-22
We
read in the Bible a story of trusting in God. God’s people demonstrated their
trust in God by singing as they marched into battle.
While
they sang and walked towards the conflict, their enemies fought each other! God
saved His
people as they marched by faith toward the unknown, singing His praises.
God
encourages us to praise Him for good reasons. Whether or not we are marching
into battle, praising God has power to change our thoughts, our hearts, and our
lives.
Hearts in tune with God sing His praises.
Our
Daily Bread – June 9, 2017