A family experiencing the miracle of prayer and praise

 

  

 

[2 Chronicles 20:15-22]

 

 

This past Monday afternoon, I had a one-on-one prayer meeting with a beloved younger brother in Christ from college.  During our conversation, he shared with me a touching story from last Sunday, Mother’s Day.  He told me how he visited his mother at a nursing home.  Despite his mother suffering from dementia and not recognizing him or his family, she smiled at him.  Hearing this, I told him that, even though his mother couldn't recognize him, it was still something to be thankful for that she smiled.  I said this because one of the beloved church deacons I know, who also had dementia and was in a nursing home before passing into the Lord’s arms, had stopped smiling in the later stages of her illness (she had a blank expression).  As we talked, the brother and I both agreed that, even in situations where it may be difficult to be thankful from a physical perspective, we should choose to look at those situations through the eyes of faith and decide to give thanks.

 

In the context of today’s passage, 2 Chronicles 20:15-22, King Jehoshaphat of Judah found himself in an incredibly difficult and seemingly hopeless situation, one that, from a human perspective, was impossible to be thankful for.  The crisis he faced was that the Moabites, Ammonites, and some of the Meunites had gathered a vast army to invade Judah (vv. 1-2).  In response, King Jehoshaphat, afraid, decided to inquire of the Lord, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah (v. 3).  As a result, all the people of Judah gathered from all the cities to seek help from the Lord in Jerusalem (v. 4).  When reflecting on this part of the Scripture, the first lesson I learned was that when we suddenly face overwhelming difficulties, like Daniel, we should decide to humble ourselves before God (Daniel 10:12), and like King Jehoshaphat, we should resolve to inquire of the Lord (2 Chronicles 20:3) and pray to Him.  Especially as the head of my household, I have learned to first decide to pray to God, and I encourage my beloved wife and three children to seek God’s help together.  This lesson teaches me that, when our family faces overwhelming difficulties, every family member must turn to God in prayer.

 

When all the people of Judah had gathered in front of the new court of the temple in Jerusalem, King Jehoshaphat stood among the crowd and prayed to God.  The passage from 2 Chronicles 20:6 in the Korean Modern Bible says: “O Lord, the God of our ancestors, are You not the God who is in heaven?  You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations.  Power and might are in Your hand, and no one can withstand You.”  As I reflected on this verse, I gained a second lesson.  The lesson is that when we face overwhelming challenges, we must first recognize and admit that we do not have the power or ability to solve these challenges on our own.  The verse from 2 Chronicles 20:12 in the Korean Modern Bible says: “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.”  In this prayer, King Jehoshaphat acknowledges that not only does he, but also the people of Judah, lack the power to overcome the great army threatening them.  In the midst of this, King Jehoshaphat pleads, saying, “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.”  Likewise, when we face enormous challenges, we may, like King Jehoshaphat, realize and admit our own helplessness and inability, and in that state, we sometimes find ourselves knowing not what to do, but looking to the Lord for guidance.  Through these overwhelming challenges, we must recognize and admit our own weakness and limitations, but at the same time, we must also acknowledge that only the God in heaven has the power and ability to resolve these difficult situations.  Therefore, we learn that we should trust and rely on this God and seek His help.

 

Another lesson I gained (the third lesson) is that when we face overwhelming difficulties, we must remain silent before God and reflect on the grace He has shown us in the past.  This lesson is based on the prayer of King Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20:7 in the Korean Modern Bible: “O our God, did You not drive out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Your friend Abraham?”  In this prayer, King Jehoshaphat recalls how, during the time of Joshua, God drove out the Canaanite inhabitants before the Israelites and gave the land to the descendants of Abraham, God's friend.  The interesting point is that Jehoshaphat refers to the Israelites as “the descendants of Your friend Abraham.”  This made me think of John 15:13: “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”  As I reflected on this, I thought of the great love of Jesus, who, even though I am a sinner, called me His friend, forgave all my sins, and gave me eternal life (salvation) by laying down His life on the cross.  As I considered this, I could not help but thank God in faith for His great grace and love.  The same God who helped and delivered us from past overwhelming difficulties is the God who will help and deliver us from the current overwhelming difficulties we face.  The reason for this is that, as Hebrews 13:8 says, our God of salvation is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  Therefore, like the psalmist, we lift our eyes to the mountains.  Where does our help come from?  Our help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth (Psalms 121:1-2, Korean Modern Bible).

 

When King Jehoshaphat prayed to God (vv. 7-12), the Spirit of God came upon a Levite named Jahaziel, who was standing in the midst of the assembly, and He moved him to proclaim God’s message to King Jehoshaphat, Judah, and the people of Jerusalem: “Hear the word of the Lord, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem, and King Jehoshaphat.  This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s. Tomorrow, march down against them.  They will be climbing up by the pass of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the gorge in the desert of Jeruel.  You will not have to fight this battle.  Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, Judah and Jerusalem.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you’” (2 Chronicles 20:15-17, Korean Modern Bible).  From this word of God, we see that God told King Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah and Jerusalem twice not to be afraid or discouraged because of the vast army invading their land.  Why did God say this?  The reasons are twofold: (1) God would be with His people [“The Lord will be with you” (v. 17)], and (2) the battle with this great army was God’s battle, not theirs [“This battle is not yours, but the Lord’s” (v. 15)].

 

Having heard this word of God through Jahaziel, King Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down and worshiped God (v. 18).  Then, the Levites from the descendants of Kohath and Korah stood up and praised the Lord, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice (v. 19).  “Early the next morning, as the army of Judah was about to set out for the Desert of Tekoa, King Jehoshaphat stood and said to the people, 'Listen to me, Judah and the people of Jerusalem! Have faith in the Lord your God, and you will be upheld; have faith in His prophets, and you will be successful'” (v. 20, Korean Modern Bible).  King Jehoshaphat urged the people twice to "trust."  He called them to trust in God and in God's prophets (the seers).  Interestingly, while God had told them twice, "Do not be afraid or discouraged" (vv. 15, 17, Korean Modern Bible), King Jehoshaphat said twice, "Trust in God" and "Trust in His prophets."

 

As I meditate on this word, the fourth lesson I learn is that no matter how much Satan and his forces attack our family, we should not be afraid or discouraged.  The reason is that this spiritual battle is not our battle, but God's battle.  In God's battle, He Himself will fight for us, save us, and lead us to victory.  Therefore, we should believe God's word that He will be with us and uphold us, and move forward in faith against Satan and his forces.  Additionally, we must worship and praise God in faith.  Even when we face enormous difficulties, by trusting in the word given through God and His servants, we can have assurance of salvation and victory, and we should thank God and praise Him for His love, which is eternal.  "After consulting with the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise Him for the splendor of His holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: 'Give thanks to the Lord, for His love endures forever!'" (v. 21, Korean Modern Bible).  When we do so, God will transform our "valley of Achor" (the valley of trouble) (Joshua 7:24-26) into a "valley of blessing" (the valley of praise) (2 Chronicles 20:26)!

 

I would like to conclude this reflection on the Word. As I meditated on the Word of 2 Chronicles 20 under the title "A Family Experiencing the Miracle of Prayer and Praise," I was reminded of a passage from Acts 16:25 that I reflected on during the New Year's service this year, under the title "Experience the Miracle of Praise!" It says: "About midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them."

As I reflected again on the three miracles the Lord performed when the Apostle Paul and Silas prayed and praised God in prison, I was led to meditate on the passage in 2 Chronicles 20. I reflected on how King Jehoshaphat, along with the people of Judah and Jerusalem, prayed to God and organized a choir to sing praises, and how God gave Judah the miraculous victory over the great army. Through this, I received four lessons:

 

  1. The first lesson is that when we suddenly face enormous challenges, we should, like Daniel, decide to humble ourselves before God (Daniel 10:12), and like King Jehoshaphat, decide to seek God’s guidance (2 Chronicles 20:3) and pray to God. Specifically, when our family faces tremendous difficulties, we must all pray to God.

 

  1. The second lesson is that when we encounter enormous difficulties, we must first recognize and admit that we do not have the strength or ability to solve the problem.  At the same time, we must recognize and admit that only God in heaven has the power and ability to solve such overwhelming challenges.  Therefore, we must trust in and rely on God, seeking His help.

 

  1. The third lesson is that when we face great difficulties, we must remain silent before God and recall the grace He has shown us in the past.

 

  1. The fourth lesson is that no matter how much Satan and his forces may attack our family, we must not be afraid or discouraged.  The reason for this is that this spiritual battle is not our battle, but God's battle.  Even when we face overwhelming challenges, we must trust in the words God gives through God and His servants, and with the assurance of salvation and victory, we should thank God and praise Him for His eternal love.  When we do this, God will transform the "Valley of Trouble (Achor)" into the "Valley of Blessing (Praise)."

 

 

 

 

 

Wishing for a family that experiences the miracle of prayer and praise,

 

 

 

James Kim

(May 20, 2023, thinking of the Victory Presbyterian Church established by the Lord and each family)