Art Not Thou God?

2 Chronicles 20:6 "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?"

The first thing to notice is Jehoshaphat's attitude in verse 3 prior to approaching the Lord, "And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah."

The second thing to notice here is that his prayer was not news to the Lord. God didn't hear those questions and think, "Oh, he's right, I'd forgotten." No, Jehoshaphat's prayers was his way of showing God that he, Jehoshaphat, believed the truth about Who God is. It was a demonstration of his faith in Who God is.

This chapter is so full of amazing verses! But for today, am I setting myself to seek the Lord? What would that look like? Do my prayers demonstrate my faith in Who God is?

Deal Courageously

2 Chronicles 19:11 "And, behold, Amariah the chief priest is over you in all matters of the LORD; and Zebadiah the son of Ishmael, the ruler of the house of Judah, for all the king's matters: also the Levites shall be officers before you. Deal courageously, and the LORD shall be with the good."

Jehoshaphat was a great leader for his country. His dedication to the things of God moved him to take action, to make sure that God's law was being honored in his kingdom. But at the end of all the instruction to the priests and judges, he brings out a very important point - doing what is right takes courage.

The kings that had come before him and not walked with God had been cowards. They did not trust that God's Word was true and therefore did not act accordingly. Jehoshaphat knew the other leaders throughout the kingdom would need courage to continue doing what was right. Doing what is right will always result in pressure to stop. It takes courage to push through.

Do I deal courageously in my own life? What faults in my life are due to a lack of courage, a lack of trust in God being Who He says He is?

He Cried Out, and The Lord Helped Him

2 Chronicles 18:31 "And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, It is the king of Israel. Therefore they compassed about him to fight: but Jehoshaphat cried out, and the LORD helped him; and God moved them to depart from him."

God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. The Old Testament is full of His loving kindness, however I believe since often we aren't looking for it as much, we often can fail to see it.

Jehoshaphat had heard the prophesy of Micaiah, yet he still went to battle with Ahab. Yet despite that, his first response to trouble is to cry out to God. And God helps him. I think sometimes we get in this mindset that we need to have everything 'just so' before God will hear our prayers and come to our aid.

But the Bible does not bear this out. We know for a fact that if we regard sin in our heart, God won't hear us. But a life that is sincerely, though imperfectly, seeking God will see God answering prayers by simply crying out. And God's eternal loving kindness will help us.

Would someone, able to see into my heart, say that I am seeking God sincerely? Do I see God helping me when I ask? If not, could there be a sin in my heart that I am regarding?

He Prayed

Matthew 26:39 "And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt."

Every time I read this passage, I'm struck anew by the fact that Jesus prayed. It seems obvious that He would, but at the same time it almost seems odd that He would have to. After all, He was completely God and completely man. His relationship and communion with the Father was unbroken except for that moment on the cross when He took our sins and the Father turned His back on the Son.

The point here is that if Jesus, the Son of God, Who enjoyed perfect communion unobstructed by sin as we experience it, if Jesus needed to pray, how much more then do we. Jesus says several times that His life was an example for us.

He prayed like His life depended on it. He prayed the same prayer multiple times in such earnest desire that He sweat drops of blood.

What is my prayer life in comparison? Am I using Jesus as my example for prayer? What would my prayer life look like if I were?

The Testimony of a life Willingly Offered

2 Chronicles 17:16 "And next him was Amasiah the son of Zichri, who willingly offered himself unto the LORD; and with him two hundred thousand mighty men of valour."

Romans 12:1 "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service."

Here is another character in the Bible of whom we know little. Yet what we do know is an inspiration. His willing sacrifice of himself to God was so notable that it had to be mentioned. His life could not be spoken of without noting that he was the guy who had willingly offered himself to the Lord.

Talking about Amasiah without talking about his dedication to God, would be like talking about Micheal Jordan without mentioning his basketball career. It was what defined him. It was who he was. What a testimony.

Have I presented myself willingly as a living sacrifice to God? How does my life look different as a result of that? Years after I'm gone, will people be able to mention my life without mentioning my commitment to God?

He Was Wroth With the Seer

2 Chronicles 16:10 "Then Asa was wroth with the seer, and put him in a prison house; for he was in a rage with him because of this thing. And Asa oppressed some of the people the same time."

Hanani is not a leading character in the Bible. In fact, he's only mentioned a few times. Yet this single bold action, telling the truth regardless of the consequences, is an amazing testimony. It is presumable that prophets understood the risk of their job. They seemingly had a 50/50 chance of either seeing someone repent or having them become angry and threaten punishment.

Yet despite this risk, Hanani spoke the truth as God had told him to. Doing what is right is rarely easy. Yet it is always worth it in the end.

Am I willing to do what God has called me to regardless of the consequences? What within me would give me the strength to follow through in the face of insurmountable odds?

To Show Himself Strong

2 Chronicles 16:9 "For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars."

Sometimes you'll hear people saying that God desires to answer our prayers, that He wants to be seen as powerful in our lives. While many of us know this intellectually, few of us truly know this experientially. Something in the back of our mind tells us this can't be true. A lingering doubt asks, "How could God actually care that much?"

While that doubt poisons our potential as servants of God, we happily accept that Jesus Christ died a horrible death on the cross, taking all our sins on Himself to save us from Hell. If one is believable, why not the other?

Perhaps it's that little word "perfect" used to describe a heart. That word scares us because we see who and what we are. But so does God. And He loves us the same. The Hebrew word translated "perfect" means "full, complete." God wants our hearts to be fully His, completely toward Him. This does not mean that we never fall, but it means that anytime we do fall (and we will fall) we will fall while we're pursuing Him. And after we fall, we rise back up by His grace and continue on our way, basking in His mercy, love, and forgiveness.

Do I believe, today, right now, that God Himself is longing to show Himself strong on my behalf? Is my heart fully toward God, completely His? What is holding me back from arriving there? Is it worth the inability to see God work powerfully on my behalf?