2 Chronicles 20:5-9,12-15
5 And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, before the new court,
6 And said, O Lord God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven? and rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen? and in thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee?
7 Art not thou our God, who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and gavest it to the seed of Abraham thy friend for ever?
8 And they dwelt therein, and have built thee a sanctuary therein for thy name, saying,
9 If, when evil cometh upon us, as the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we stand before this house, and in thy presence, (for thy name is in this house,) and cry unto thee in our affliction, then thou wilt hear and help.
12 O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee.
13 And all Judah stood before the Lord, with their little ones, their wives, and their children.
14 Then upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, came the Spirit of the Lord in the midst of the congregation;
15 And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the Lord unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s.
1) Jehoshaphat praises, confesses and declares that God is omnipotent over all and no one can stand against his power or in the way of his will.
2) He praises God for his faithfulness (his track record) to his people in the past and in the present.
3) He confessed that there was nothing they could do in and of themselves to change the situation. And by this they were totally surrendered to God for his help, mercy and deliverance.
The next thing that happened is when God spoke back.
- If you go to God in prayer with a sincere heart he WILL respond
- God has a word for you and your situation
- Many times the Holy Spirit shows up after God’s people come before him to worship and confess their dependency on him.
Always remember when we confess our faults and ask for forgiveness then we get to a place where we can worship. When we can worship we produce humbleness in our heart and open up our spirit man/woman. And when we are humble in our heart we can then surrender to God and listen for his response in our lives!
