The Battle is Not Yours, But God's

I asked Mark to write an entry this week, because he had a blessing to share....

Today is my day to get to make an entry. Yesterday morning, during my prayer/quiet time with the Lord, I specifically asked Him to speak to me directly through my study and to bring a passage to my attention that spoke to our situation. The passage He gave to me was 2 Chronicles 20:15-17:

He said: “Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! 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 Jruel. You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.’”

Later on in 2 Chronicles 20 the story continues with Jehoshaphat and his army not having to lift a finger in the battle. The enemy forces turned on each other and not a man was left standing. There was so much loot and plunder for Jehoshaphat and his army to collect, it took them 3 days to gather it all from the fallen enemy.

I wasn’t really sure what the Lord was telling me. I underlined the specific lines that stood out to me. And those passages all made me feel good and comforted. He basically told me that He had things under control and it’s not my problem to worry about.

One part of what I was hearing that I wasn’t sure of is the part of the story where Jehoshapahat is told that Tomorrow (now today) was when something was supposed to happen. I didn’t know if God was speaking to me through this passage in general of if there was going to be something special happening Tomorrow (now today). So all day, I’ve been wondering if something was going to happen. I didn’t know if it was going to be a battle with a blessing at the end, just a blessing, a job, or nothing at all. So in response, I’ve simply gone out to face today paying attention and looking. Well, sure enough God was telling me something special was going to happen today. Not a job offer, but simply a very nice gift that has relieved much of my immediate financial stress.

It truly is a blessing to know that God had already prepared a blessing for me and had it in the mail at least a day before I even came to him. And He was even good and kind enough to tell me when I was going to receive it. Our God is an awesome God. He has confirmed once again that our “jars of flour and oil, will remain un-empty until the rains come again.”