There is not a Christian I know who would not delight to have God intervene in their life and deliver them when they are facing a severe trial. Every Christian wants to see God work in their life, to do the miraculous, to overcome the circumstances which have overcome them!
When Jehoshaphat ruled Judah, he faced a severe trial, and had the opportunity to see God intervene and deliver His people. While the trials we face today may be different in nature, they still must be brought to God if we want Him to solve them. In 2 Chronicles 20, the king received bad news that Moab was invading the country: that a huge force was only a day's journey from the capital city of Jerusalem. Naturally, fear and perhaps panic gripped the city. But it was this potential calamity that revealed Jehoshaphat's real heart toward God.
JEHOSHAPHAT SOUGHT THE LORD FIRST
Verse 3 says Jehoshaphat "...set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah." At the first sign of trouble, the king did not call out an alarm, nor organize his armies, nor fret and worry. The first thing the king did was to seek God. This shows us where Jehoshaphat placed his trust.
When trials come our way, where do we turn first? What is the first thought that crosses our mind? Is it "Oh my, what am I going to do?" Or, is it, "Lord, show me what I should do!" When bills pile up, when the boss gets upset, when the doctor gives us bad news, where does our attention turn first of all? Is it to God, or someone else?
Let us say a person has serious money troubles. He has purchased too much on credit, is over his head in debt, he finds there is "more month than money." Some who have financial problems turn to consolidation loans, or getting another job (sometimes on Sundays!), or sending the wife out to work. But how many turn first to God for His counsel on the matter? God has a solution to every problem ... even those we have caused ourselves. But sadly, many would rather turn to a bank, or to sending the wife out to work, or to taking a second job that might jeopardize their Sunday worship. Now while we are not offering specific solutions to financial crises, we are saying that at the first sign of whatever the problem you have, the first thing to do is turn to God.
You can tell a lot about a person by how he responds during difficult times. When faced with trials, what a person does first--- how he initially responds---to whom he goes for help---reveals much about his priorities, his heart condition, his source of strength. And so it did in the life of King Jehoshaphat.
JEHOSHAPHAT PRAYED AND WAITED
Secondly, in verse 13, Jehoshaphat and the people prayed and waited for God to reveal His plan. The Bible uses the word "stood", which is translated elsewhere as continue, or dwell, or tarry. So the people "tarried" before God. I think this means they spent a good deal of time in serious prayer, and serious waiting.
Some folks who get in trouble, spend ten minutes praying to God for an answer, then launch out and do their own thing. "Well, I prayed about it and God didn't give me a clear answer!" How much time did you spend asking God for His counsel? How much time did you spend waiting for God to answer? If a prolonged season of prayer is too much to give, how serious are we about the request? It is the importunate asker that gets a response.
JEHOSHAPHAT DID WHAT GOD SAID
Thirdly, Jehoshaphat and the people acted on what God revealed to them (v. 20). It does little good to find out what God says, only to ignore His Word and do what we want to do. Many folks treat Bible commands as part of "God's smorgasbord": they choose what they want to obey, and by-pass those which they don't won't obey. Jehoshaphat didn't look at obedience that way.
What God asked them to do was not easy, humanly speaking. Instead of arming themselves and going to battle ready to fight, God indicated they should go unarmed and see God's deliverance. This took a great deal of trust, especially since the Moabites could be vicious. While obedience to clear commands of God may not always be easiest, it is the safest way to live.
As you finish the chapter, you will see God marvelously intervenes and saves His people (v22-23). In fact, it appears God's victory is greater than any the Jews could have achieved on their own. Jehoshaphat was one of the better kings of Judah. Despite his wrong political alliances, he still was a leader who sought after God. The scriptures say he "...sought to the LORD God of his father, and walked in his commandments, and not after the doings of Israel" (2 Chron. 17:4). The Hebrew word for sought carries the idea of frequently seeking God ... making it a habit, so to speak. This habit of seeking God, especially seeking Him first, was a habit that probably saved his life.
