2 Chronicles 20:14,15 – “Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly. And he said, “Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the Lord to you: ‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.”
King Jehoshaphat and all Judah were faced with tremendous difficulty. The Moabites and Ammonites had assembled together to attack Judah, and their collective numbers far outweighed Judah’s army. The people had gathered together to seek the Lord and Jahaziel, a descendant of Asaph (a chief worship leader under David’s administration…put it together) prophesied encouragement in the midst of a difficult situation. And here is where the famous words are prophesied, “For the battle is not your’s, but God’s.” You need to hear that today.
There are several important lessons surrounding that victorious statement that we should pay attention to. First, King Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah positioned themselves to hear the word of the Lord. Verses 3 and 4 says, “And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. 4 So Judah gathered together to ask help from the Lord; and from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord.” Notice their posture. The following phrases teach us important spiritual principles that we should incorporate into our lives: “set himself to seek the Lord;” “proclaims a fast;” “gathered together to ask help from the Lord;” “they came to seek the Lord.” This happened before the word of the Lord came. After they received the prophetic promise, Jehoshaphat said this to the people: “Hear me, O Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem: Believe in the Lord your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper.” Faith is a critical element in seeing the deliverance of the Lord come to pass. It’s interesting that today’s New Testament reading in Romans 10 verse 17 says, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” That’s why having a constant diet of God’s word must be a high priority on your list. It keeps your “faith level” high, which is a breeding ground for the power and deliverance of God.
Remember, the battle is not yours, it’s God’s. Take the day off from worrying about it.