The Battle Belongs to God

Wednesday, July 10, 2019

by Dr. Paul Chappell

“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. To morrow go ye down against them: behold, they come up by the cliff of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the end of the brook, before the wilderness of Jeruel. Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the LORD will be with you.”

2 Chronicles 20:15-17

When three of Judah’s neighbors allied together to fight against the Jewish people, there was no military hope for victory. Outnumbered by the enemy armies, Jehoshaphat did the most important thing—he turned to God. God sent word through a prophet that not only would He give a victory, but it would be a victory that did not require any effort on their part. As always, God did exactly as He promised, and all the enemies perished without the Israelite army doing anything. When news of this divine victory spread, the nation of Judah had peace for years afterward.

This was not the normal way God gave victory to the Israelites. Most of their battles required them to fight. But this story reminds us that all of our battles—whether we must fight or whether God defeats our enemies—can only be won in God’s power. We are called to overcome the world, mortify the flesh, and resist the devil. We cannot do this on our own. If the battle is not God’s, there is no hope of victory. When we fight it is not in our strength. The end result does not depend on our power. There are battles we must face, but God must win them.

Today's Growth Principle: 

God does not need any help to win our battles, but we must trust in Him for that victory.