Jehoshaphat's prayer

2 Chronicles 20:12 O our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you.

These words are the closing ones of a public prayer that good king Jehoshaphat made at a time when Judah was under threat from the Moabites and other enemies. It is a prayer that received a definite and positive response from God when first of all a prophet called Jahaziel assured Jehoshaphat and the people that the battle was the Lord's and then when victory in battle followed. In this particular verse there are four parts. First, a request – for judgement on their enemies whose cause was most unjust. Then there is confession – both of weakness and of ignorance as to what to do. Finally, there is that desperate yet hopeful but our eyes are upon you. Here is a model for prayer. Make your request, one that is shaped by the teaching of God's Word as this one was. Then confess your utter helplessness and your ignorance about what to do. Finally - look to the Lord. This should always be our attitude, whatever the crisis. If we fail to look to the Lord, for whatever reason, then we will suffer for it.

Learning from Jehoshaphat

The LORD was with Jehoshaphat because in his early years he walked in the ways his father David had followed. He did not consult the Baals but sought the God of his father and followed his commands rather than the practices of Israel. 2 Chronicles 17:3, 4

The Bible can sum up a whole life in a few words. It reminds us of God’s power to do that with us all. Jehoshaphat, the fifth from David, was the second of eight good kings who reigned over the southern kingdom of Judah. He died aged 60 having reigned for 25 years. The key to his success was that God was with him. This happened because in his vital early years he walked in the ways of his father David, in faith and holiness. As in a race, so in life - a good start makes all the difference.
From his earliest days Jehoshaphat was constantly reminded that God’s judgement is what counts. Jehoshaphat means ‘Yeshua is judge’. So, negatively, he did not consult the Baals. It was the ‘in’ thing, just as secularism or ‘new age‘ religion are 'in' today. It was what the neighbouring nations did, including Ahab and his people to the north. It was the practice of people throughout Israel. But God was with Jehoshaphat and it was his judgement that counted with the king. This gave him the strength of mind to ignore what others said.
Positively, he sought the God of his father Asa. He wanted to know the true God. That was who he prayed to, who he sought. In trouble, he turned not to wood or stone but to the true and living God. God’s commands were his guide - regardless of others. If God said it, he believed it and acted on it.
How many Jehoshaphats today? They are rare, it appears. Public opinion, the latest thinking - these rule. Oh how we need clear-minded people today, people with one desire - to seek God in Christ and obey him.
That must be the tenor of our lives - not just for a few years but throughout. Sadly, Jehoshaphat’s latter years were spoiled by compromise. As time passes it is easy, even for those who begin well, to stray. Decay easily creeps in. Resist all such tendencies. Seek God and obey him to the end.