2007-02-20 - More Than A Conqueror

Part 1 ~ Originally Published 2005-12-12

Picture this if you will. A king, one who is looked up to and admired; a God-fearing man. He's currently kicking back in his hammock out on the back veranda, the perfect spot where he can look across his land and his people. The day is peaceful and quiet, not too hot - with a touch of a breeze to make it perfect. He sighs contently. All is well. Suddenly this messenger comes with a little memo: "This horde of enemies has decided to group together and destroy everything ... including you, your family, and your people. As a matter of fact, they're on their way and have probably reached shore by now, so not to put any pressure on you or anything, but you'll probably meet up with them in a couple of days. Ok, well, I gotta run."

The king knows these are some pretty tough dudes, and to form together as one army against his kingdom, would be horrendous. His first thought: fear. "Oh, crud monkeys! What am I going to do?" I can picture him walking around, scratching his head and thinking, thinking, thinking. What do I do?! Suddenly, you literally see a light bulb shining bright over his head, with an exclamation mark inside. He knows what to do. God is obviously preparing him … giving him advance warning. He can't defeat this evil horde, so he goes to the One who can. He gets another memo guy (the other one ran off, remember?) and sends him to proclaim a fast to all of Judah.

He calls all of his people (they didn't have cell phones back then, so he must have had a pretty strong voice … or maybe the new memo guy told them … anyway …) to an assembly in the house of the Lord before the new court, where he begins to pray before God and his people. I can picture him, this great and beloved king humbling himself before the Lord and saying something like, "Ok, here's the deal, I've just been given this awful message and … well, to be honest, it has me a little scared. I mean, who wouldn't be, right? But if it's one thing I've learned it's that Lord, there is no one who can stand before You. You are the toughest Man around … ever! And You've always protected us and watched over us and … wait a minute!"

Righteous indignation sweeps over him, as full realization hits him. He pauses in mid-stride, angry now at the enemies' intent. He begins again, "Lord, these people want to take this land from us … the one You gave us. I mean after all, You are the One who drove out the inhabitants of this land and gave it to us in the first place. It was all accomplished through Your might and power. I mean, I'm really angry! After all, these people, the very same ones that You would not let Israel invade; we turned from them and did not destroy them! And here they are now, rewarding us by coming to throw US out of YOUR POSSESSION! Egad!"

Still pacing back and forth in front of the Lord's house, Jehoshaphat (that's the king's name by the way) begins to calm down a little. Again, a pause … thinking. Then, more humbly, "Lord, You are so mighty and merciful. You are so loving to us. After all You are willing to meet here with us and hear our cries…no, not just hear, but also willing to save. Lord, honest truth, we have no power against them. There is no way we could ever win a battle like this. I'm the king, and I'm feeling scared and overwhelmed, so I'm sure we all are. We don't even know what to do, or how to do it. Help us, Lord…lead us and guide us; direct us. We will wait for You, Yahweh, You're the Sun in our horizon, all our hope is in You, Yahweh. I can feel You now arising."

A peaceful silence fills the entire mass of prayer warriors, armed only with their faith and trust. Prayer Warriors consisting of families, wives, children…all remain silent, knowing something awesome is about to happen. All heads are bowed, and all quietly wait … to listen to the One. Even the breeze, sensing the gravity, calms to linger, as if it too were listening for the voice of the Master. They are not dismayed; before long, the Spirit of the Lord falls upon a simple Levite musician, Jahaziel. A clear voice rings out across the assembly and is heard by all. "Listen, all you of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you King Jehoshaphat! Do not be afraid or dismayed. You have nothing to fear. This battle is not yours, but God's. Tomorrow, go against them. You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you."

Immediately, this great and illustrious king bows with his head to the ground to worship his Lord. The assembly, as if in one motion, follows suit. Humbleness permeates each and every one. One by one, each member of the Levites could no longer contain their zeal for God and stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel, with voices loud & high.

The next morning filled with belief in their Lord, that He would establish and prosper them. King Jehoshaphat appointed the frontline men: those who would sing to the Lord and those who should praise the beauty of His holiness. Yes, this is correct, not the "minutemen" or the archers…but the singers! Well, unbeknownst to them, at the commencement of their praises, the Lord set ambushes against the assailing contingents, who were suddenly overcome with a lustful desire to attack each other!

Can you believe it? I mean, can you even picture this scene? The king's army arrives, looks over the cliff, most likely expecting this incogitable throng, only to find … well, an incogitable throng … but dead, all of them … every single last one. Killed by their "alliances." Too funny! Well, gross, actually. But amazing, nonetheless!!!! I bet they just all stood there, stunned and staring … completely awed by the power of their God.

Comments or Questions?
Cheryl

botwbld@cfdevotionals.org
http://www.cfdevotionals.org