When It’s More Than You Can Handle

First, read this story in 2nd Chronicles 20:1-26.

In these verses, a man named Jehoshaphat was facing a crisis. The Bible tells us that several armies were bearing down on him and his community, and he was terrified by this news. In fact, it says he was greatly “alarmed”. Ever receive news that was greatly “alarming?” Yup, me too.

So he began fasting, praying, and begging everyone he knew to do the same. They gathered together to pray before the Lord and they cried out in their distress. And the Lord answered their cries by saying,

“Do not be afraid or discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. Tomorrow, march out against them…you will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you.” (2 Chronicles 20: 16-17)

Following those instructions, the next morning Jehoshaphat and his people marched out to meet the many armies headed their way. What they didn’t know was the Lord had set ambushes for these armies, so that they all ended up fighting against one another before Jehoshaphat ever arrived. Verse 24 tells the end of the story;

“When the men of Judah came to the place that overlooks the desert and looked towards the vast army, they saw only dead bodies lying on the ground. So Jehoshaphat and his men went to carry off their plunder, and they found among them a great amount of equipment and clothing and articles of value – more than they could take away. There was so much plunder that it took three days to collect it.” 2 Chronicles 20: 24–26

Are you facing a battle that you don’t want to fight? Perhaps you are “alarmed”, begging God for an answer and asking prayer from everyone you know. But God is already working. He plans to fight for you. He plans to go before you. And not only that, He has so much plunder prepared for you that you will not be able to hold it all!

Do you believe that today? Do you believe God will fight for you and take care of you?

It seems fine to read that about someone else, but it’s a lot harder to apply that kind of faith to my own life, especially when life is nothing how I expected. And while material treasure and gold is not the promise, when we trust and follow the Lord into battle the way Jehoshaphat did, we will always walk away with more plunder than we can handle. In my next post, we’ll look at the specific steps Jehoshaphat took so we can live with this kind of faith for our lives as well.

What is the battle are you following the Lord into today? What can you do to believe He is fighting for you?