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Ambushing Satan through Song
HI Friends,
I've been meditating a lot lately about 2 Chronicles chapter 20 where
Jehoshaphat is told that a vast army is coming against him from Edom,
from the other side of the Dead Sea.
The text indicates that
he was alarmed or afraid by the news. So he immediately resolved to
inquire of the LORD and proclaimed a fast for all of Judah. So they
sought help from the Lord. Then Jehoshaphat prays to the Lord out loud
for the people of in front of all the people from Judah and Jerusalem.
He praises the Lord for His greatness and then declares their weakness
by saying, "We are powerless before this great multitude who are coming
against us." Then he goes on to say, "nor do we know what to do, but our
eyes are on You.”
What struck me about this short but
powerful ending to his prayer is that he is in front of the assembly of
Judah and Jerusalem and he doesn't act like he has it all together. He
doesn't pretend to be in control or say that he has a game plan to
defeat the enemy. I'm sure it must have been humbling to admit that he
didn't know what to do. He doesn't try to be a fearless leader that has
all the self confidence needed for the moment. Instead he says that
"power and might" are in God's hand and verbally admits that they are
"powerless," that they "don't know what to do" BUT that their "eyes" are
on God.
Wow!
What a great example of true power
under submission when we look away from ourselves and look to God. It
reminds me of another leader, namely, Peter. Remember when he did
something that was humanly impossible? He walked on water when he was
looking at Jesus (Matt 14: 22-33). And then when he looked away from the
Lord he sank. I'm sure Jehoshaphat could have been tempted to look to
other resources to win the battle, or be so afraid that he scrambles to
try anything that may solve the problem but he didn't do that. Instead
He looked to The Source of strength to win the battle.
It is
when we are weak that He (God) is strong (2 Cor 12:10). His strength is
made perfect in weakness. It's so opposite of what the world tells us,
isn't it. The world says, "pull yourself up by your boot straps." But
no. God says, "Humble yourself and He will lift you up." (James 4:10)
Keep looking to the Lord. Fix your gaze on Him. He is mighty. Worship
him through song and watch what He will do. Perhaps there is a battle
going on in your life, maybe it's spiritual, maybe it's more tangible
like something at your work or at school or in your family. Worship Him.
Cast your cares on Him. He cares for you (1 Peter 5:7).
Last
month I found myself playing certain worship songs over and over.
Sometimes 10 times or more. Okay, that's conservative, more like 20
times. During that same time my friend Nancy emailed me this message from John Piper called, "Ambushing Satan through Song."
http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/sermons/ambushing-satan-with-song
It's a powerful message that unpacks 2 Chron 20.
If you want to know what happened with Jehoshaphat and who won the battle, click here and read the chapter in it's entirety
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Chronicles+20&version=NASB
God bless and have a great day at church!
1 comment:
Wow! This is amazing! :) thank you for writing this Trish!
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