King Jehoshaphat was leading God’s people when he got word that an enemy nation was on the way to attack. Jehoshaphat, wasting no time, commanded all of Judah to fast (abstain from food). They then all assembled and prayed to the Lord, praising Him and reminding Him of all the promises He made to them: “Lord, the God of our ancestors,(H)are you not the God who is in heaven?(I) You rule over all the kingdoms(J) of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you.(K) 7 Our God, did you not drive out the inhabitants of this land(L) before your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend?(M) 8 They have lived in it and have built in it a sanctuary(N) for your Name, saying,9 ‘If calamity comes upon us, whether the sword of judgment, or plague or famine,(O) we will stand in your presence before this temple that bears your Name and will cry out to you in our distress, and you will hear us and save us. 10 “But now here are men from Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, whose territory you would not allow Israel to invade when they came from Egypt;(P) so they turned away from them and did not destroy them. 11 See how they are repaying us by coming to drive us out of the possession(Q) you gave us as an inheritance. 12 Our God, will you not judge them?(R) 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 on you.(S)”. (NIV version) They then asked the Lord the Lord for help. Jehosaphat then does a strange thing: “After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his[c] holiness(AB)as they went out at the head of the army, saying: “Give thanks to the Lord,
for his love endures forever.”(AC)22 As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes(AD) against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated.”
Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing praises to God ahead of the army! One would not expect worship singing on the way to battle, but they did. Notice what it says next: AS THEY WERE SINGING the Lord (fought against their enemies). God didn’t wait for the his men to even get there! He started fighting the enemy BEFORE they even arrived. When the Isrealites arrived, there was nothing but dead bodies on the ground!
24 When the men of Judah came to the place that overlooks the desert and looked toward the vast army, they saw only dead bodies lying on the ground; no one had escaped.”
Wow! Imagine what victories could be won in out own lives if we followed their example of fasting, praying for help and praising God in the middle of the storm! It is a testament to God’s goodness and the power of praise!
Sweet Mimosa 