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 of you 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.'"
I've always loved a popular song from 15 years back entitled "The Battle Belongs to the Lord." In the face of spiritual enemies, whether manifested through humanity or from the demonic, every Christian can depend upon this truth. Spiritual battles are not ours to fight, but that of the Spirit abiding within us.
Jahaziel brought this same message to King Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah. While the Ammonites were surely superior to this small nation, as the people of God, the battle was not theirs to fight. While God might call upon them to be his instrument in battle, whether in ultimate victory or defeat, they would see the might of God. In every situation, the battle is not our own, but belongs to the Lord through a touch of the Spirit.
The Spirit that battles tells me that God's will is to be done. We've no need to fret, even in the face of a superior enemy. Though we may be taken into captivity as a prisoner, be defeated and killed, or be pressed on every side, God remains in control. The Spirit battles for the church, and God's will is to be done.
In this case, God tells Judah they would not even need to fight. They simply just needed to show up and see the work of the Lord. I suspect this happens more often than we know. God just want us to show up in faith, with this simple act of obedience empowering the Lord's victory.
Of course, the opposite happens when we fail to show. When we don't take a stand in faith, neither will the Lord. We'll be left on our own in the midst of a spiritual battle we cannot win.
Not only does the battle belong to the Spirit in us, we are hopelessly helpless without him.
LORD JESUS
Lord, I thank you for your generalship over your church and my life. May I show up in faith, awaiting your victory. Amen.
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