Grace for Española
 
We continue our look at 2 Chronicles 20 for principles of prayer. With the busy-ness of the summertime activities, let’s continue to carve out time to be alone with God in prayer by adding the following principles to the one we learned in the previous blog post.

B. God delights to do what He promised to do (vv. 7-11).

Did you not, our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel, and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend? 8　And they have lived in it and have built for you in it a sanctuary for your name, saying, ‘If disaster comes upon us, the sword, judgment,　or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house and before you—for your name is in this house—and cry out to you in our affliction, and you will hear and save.’ And now behold, the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir, whom you would not let Israel invade when they came from the land of Egypt,and whom they avoided and did not destroy—behold, they reward us by coming to drive us out of your possession, which you have given us to inherit (ESV).

One way to show submissiveness to the will of God is by praying according to His will and one way to do that is by praying according to the promises God has given in Scripture. Jehoshaphat modeled this in verse 7 by praying in accordance with God's promise to give the land to Israel forever (Gen.13:15; 15:18). Also, at the dedication of the Temple, the Lord had promised Solomon that He would hear the prayers of the people (2 Chron. 6:14-42; 7:15). God said, "Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place" (2 Chron. 7:15 NAS). The believer in prayer can rehearse the promises of God and be confident that the Lord hears and will act to fulfill His promises on behalf of His children.

Now take some time to think through or write down your interaction with this second principle:

* Recognize the truth of the principle.
* Reflect on or meditate on the truth of the principle.
* Relate the truth to real concerns.
* Rehearse the principle in prayer or pray according to the truth.
* Respond to or take action on the truth of the principle.

C. God's people are helpless without Him (v. 12).

O our God, will you not execute judgment on them? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you (ESV).

Commentators disagree as to whether Jehoshaphat went out to meet his attackers with an army or not. It is clear that Jehoshaphat had a large and capable army (2 Chron. 17:12-19). However, he apparently did not trust in his army to deliver him from the combined Transjordanian forces. Rather, Jehoshaphat, without any deliberation, turned to the Lord and asked for His deliverance on their behalf saying, "For we are powerless before this great multitude who are coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are on You" (2 Chron. 20:12b).

Likewise, Christians today must choose to rely on either human or divine resources. Lehman Strauss wrote, "Human wisdom and human desire can achieve human results. But praying in the Spirit produces divine results." When believers rely on their human resources, they selfishly seek their own glory and foolishly deprive themselves of God's power. However, Christians can turn to God in prayer, as Jehoshaphat did, even though they may have some means, and allow God to show Himself strong on their behalf and receive all the glory as a result. Whenever God's people face an impossible situation, it is actually a wonderful opportunity for God to test their faith and bring glory to himself.

Now take some time to think through or write down your interaction with this third principle:

* Recognize the truth of the principle.
* Reflect on or meditate on the truth of the principle.
* Relate the truth to real concerns.
* Rehearse the principle in prayer or pray according to the truth.
* Respond to or take action on the truth of the principle.

There is nothing we need more than God’s power in our lives. Let’s continue to seek Him together in private that we might see His power evident when we join together for public worship each Lord’s Day.
 
 
As we enter the summer months, many of us will have more free time with school being out and less structured activities. Some of us may be busier trying to make the most of the summer opportunities for vacation and outdoor activities. Whatever the case, let’s remember to keep the main thing the main thing in our Christian lives—which is to keep God at the center of our thoughts and lives. If we fail in this, we fail in everything. To help us with this goal, I’d like us to reflect on the revival under King Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20, almost 3,000 years ago. This has long been a favorite Old Testament passage for me. As we look at it over the coming weeks let’s interact with each principle we learn by considering the following "R’s." Let this study be further training in Bible meditation as we have considered in recent weeks in this column.

* Recognize the truth of the principle.
* Reflect on or meditate on the truth of the principle.
* Relate the truth to real concerns (the enemies of the soul – the world, flesh, devil), trials, personal conflict, etc.
* Rehearse the principle in prayer or pray according to the truth.
* Respond to or take action on the truth of the principle. Apply it to specific areas of concern in your life.

The Setting

After this the Moabites and Ammonites, and with them some of the Meunites, came against Jehoshaphat for battle. Some men came and told Jehoshaphat, "A great multitude is coming against you from Edom, from beyond the sea; and, behold, they are in Hazazon-tamar" (that is, Engedi). Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. And Judah assembled to seek help from the Lord; from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord (2 Chron 20:1-5, ESV).

During the reign of King Jehoshaphat over Judah in 853 B.C. a sudden and unexpected invasion took place by a combined force of Moabites, Ammonites, and Meunites. When Jehoshaphat heard of the encroaching armies, he immediately turned to the Lord for help. Jehoshaphat called for a national fast and all of Judah gathered together in Jerusalem to seek the Lord in prayer. Jehoshaphat then led the nation in a prayer reminiscent of Solomon's prayer of dedication of the temple in 2 Chronicles 6:24-39. It is from this prayer and the related actions that several principles for effective prayer are found. Take a few minutes to look up and read 2 Chronicles 20:1-30 right now if you can.

A. God has power over all people and situations (vv. 5-7).

And Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, before the new court, and said, "O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you. Did you not, our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel, and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend?

The Bible presents God as One who is all-powerful and completely sovereign over all His creation. For this reason, prayer is not a light matter. The believer in prayer has access to this divine power. Commentator J. Oswald Sanders made an astonishing observation about prayer. He said, "It invests puny man with a sort of omnipotence." The believer need not fear any foe under heaven when he is fully surrendered to the will of God. Effective prayer brings the believer to this state of submission to God's sovereignty.

Now take some time to think through or write down your interaction with this first principle:

* Recognize the truth of the principle.
* Reflect on or meditate on the truth of the principle.
* Relate the truth to real concerns. How does the truth of God’s sovereignty impact you today?
* Rehearse the principle in prayer or pray according to the truth. Express your confidence in God’s sovereignty as you go to the Lord in prayer.
* Respond to or take action on the truth of the principle. How does knowing God is in total control of all things affect your decisions, attitude, concerns today?

In the following weeks, we will look at additional principles from this dramatic story of revival. May you have a truly God-centered summer filled with the joy of knowing the all-knowing, all-powerful, all-loving God who saves His people!