Today’s New Covenant nugget is from 2 Chronicles 20:22
Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated.
In yesterday’s devotion we studied the miracle of the parting of the Red Sea and we learned that God uses the things that we let go of and give to Him to perform miracles… today we are going to look at Jehoshaphat’s miracle…
Three armies rose up against Judah and King Jehoshaphat and were set out to utterly destroy them. Jehoshaphat called all of Judah together and all Judah, with their little ones, their wives, and their children, stood before the Lord, and they prayed… “O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.” Judah desperately needed a miracle!
If you need a miracle, call your family and loved ones together and pray and ask the Lord for one… our God is a miracle working God!
As they were praying the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel the prophet… interestingly, the name Jahaziel means, ‘God sees’. When you are in need of a miracle, know that GOD SEES!
Jahaziel said, “Listen, all you of Judah, thus says the Lord to you, do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, FOR THE BATTLE IS NOT YOURS, BUT GOD’S. You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.”
Then Jehoshaphat and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem bowed before the Lord, worshiping the Lord and the Levites stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel with voices loud and high.
The next morning, they rose early, and as they went out, Jehoshaphat appointed people to go out in front of his army who should sing to the Lord, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army singing, “Praise the Lord, for His mercy endures forever.”
When they began to sing and to praise, A MIRACLE HAPPENED… the Lord caused the three armies to turn on each other and they helped to destroy one another. So, when Judah looked up after praising the Lord, there were their dead bodies, fallen on the earth. No one had escaped.
Afterwards, when Jehoshaphat and his people found among them an abundance of valuables on the dead bodies, and precious jewelry, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away; and they were three days gathering the spoil because there was so much.
So, they came back to Jerusalem, with stringed instruments and harps and trumpets, to the house of the Lord. And the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of those countries when they heard that THE LORD had fought against the enemies of Israel.
What did Jehoshaphat and Judah do to get their miracle?
Number one, they let God fight the battle! They did not rely on their own ability, they placed all of their trust in the Lord, STOOD STILL, and let the Lord deal with the problem. If we will let go and let God… if we will stand still and let God fight for us, we will see many miracles!
Secondly, they praised the Lord and gave thanks to Him instead of fighting… as they began to praise and give thanks, the miracle started happening… instead of trying to fix things that are bigger than you are, instead of worrying and fretting, start giving the Lord praise, start thanking Him, start singing about His goodness and His grace and leave the rest to Him… the minute you begin to praise, your miracle will start happening!
You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, Who is with you… Do not fear or be dismayed… now start singing and to praising the Lord… as you do, know that He is setting ambushes against all that would come against you, and it will be defeated. As you place your trust in the Lord, as you use your faith to stand still and fully rely on Him to fight for you… as you praise Him… your miracle will be activated!
In tomorrow’s devotion we will continue to learn different ways to get a miracle when you need one from another miracle in the bible…
In His amazing Love, Nick
