PRAISE YE THE LORD. (Part 13)
2 Chronicles 20. Verses 20-23 read:
And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper. And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever. And when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten. For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every one helped to destroy another.
After prayer, the fears of King Jehoshaphat were allayed, and faith was rekindled in his heart to face the strong opposition that had risen against him. As a leader, he needed a tenacious spirit to keep his subjects hopeful and prevailing. The next morning, King Jehoshaphat called on the children of Judah to believe in the Lord and in his prophets to ensure their establishment and prosperity. This was a call in the right direction because a faith-filled camp is a victorious camp. 1 John 5 verse 4 describes faith as the victory that overcomes the world. The words of Jehoshaphat inspired confidence in the people of Judah and transmitted faith throughout the camp.
After consultation, King Jehoshaphat came up with a rather unusual but potent battle plan. Anyone who wants to walk with God must be ready to comply with solutions that seem naturally flawed and incapable of meeting the challenge at stake. God works in mysterious ways. When we get right the spiritual battle plan, the physical conquest will follow as a matter of course. The following are the components of the battle plan adopted by Jehoshaphat and his subjects:
- Singers were appointed to sing to the Lord. All attention was focused on the Lord as men rendered harmonious melodies for his pleasure.
- The singers praised the beauty of his holiness. The object of their singing was to exalt the Lord, the Holy One, knowing very well what praise is able to do.
- The lyrics of their song said, “Praise the Lord, for his mercy endures forever.” Their praise was focused on God’s unfailing mercies, which he extends to his own.
As they implemented the battle plan, the Lord set ambushments against the children of Ammon, and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir to utterly destroy them. When they had ended destroying Mount Seir, they attacked and destroyed one another. Whereas this sounds like a tale, it was a reality; a reality that can only be produced by the spiritual weapon of praise. Keep your praise ascending to ensure victory in the battles of life.
SHALOM 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏