20/20 Faith
Today’s Verse:
And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper. ~2 Chronicles 20:20
I recently had to do a vision test to renew my driver license. It was a standard 20/20 vision test. Having 20/20 vision is defined as having the ability to clearly read an eye chart from 20 feet away. It is considered normal vision acuity. Our devotion this morning is taken from the 20th chapter and the 20th verse of 2 Chronicles. It is about the faith of Jehoshaphat during a crisis of great magnitude. It teaches us that he had 20/20 faith in God.
We see the realization.
“It came to pass after this also, that the children of Moab, and the children of Ammon, and with them other beside the Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat to battle.” Three nations that were hostile to Jehoshaphat joined forces to fight against him, Judah, and Jerusalem. The threat of war and defeat was at their door. Jehoshaphat and the people feared. This was the biggest challenge that he had ever faced. He feared defeat. He feared death. He realized that he was over his head in this problem. All he could see before him was an enemy that he feared. Fear brings torment. Fear makes cowards out of the best of men. Fear makes every problem appear bigger than us, and it leads us to think that it is bigger than God. Fear brings us into a snare.
We see the request.
Jehoshaphat is a great example of a spiritual leader in crisis. He did the one and most important thing a leader should do: he led the entire nation in prayer for God’s help. His prayer is a model of faith praying. He acknowledged God’s authority in Heaven. He acknowledged God’s ability to do anything. He acknowledged God’s sovereign hand at work in his spiritual ancestors. He confessed that he and his people had no power or ability; neither did they know what to do. He acknowledged that their eyes were on the Lord. Faith is seeing the invisible. He committed the entirety of his situation into God’s hands for help. Faith praying believes that God is. It believes that only God can and will arise on your behalf.
We see the response.
God raised up a Levite who, under the power of the Holy Spirit, told Jehoshaphat to not be afraid, to be ready to face the enemy, and that the battle is the Lord’s. He told the king that he and the people would not have actual combat with the enemy. God would fight their battle for them. The people were told to believe in the Lord God and to sing together. The next morning, as Jehoshaphat and his men went out, they saw that the enemy fought among themselves and dead bodies were fallen to the earth. Just as God had indicated, his people would not lift a sword to fight. God gave Jehoshaphat a decisive victory without going to battle.
We see the rewards.
When we believe that God is, He is a Rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. The enemy died with an immense amount of wealth that they left behind. Jehoshaphat and his people spent three days gathering up money, jewelry, and other precious resources that the enemy had brought with them. Faith was greatly rewarded. On the fourth day, they named that location the valley of Berachah. Berachah means blessing. Faith resulted in many blessings. Jehoshaphat displayed 20/20 faith: faith that prays, believes, and obeys. Study Jehoshaphat this morning and exercise 20/20 faith.
Have a faith-empowered God Morning!
Bible Reading Schedule: Psalms 108-114