True Praise

Stan Adams In 2 Chronicles 20, when the armies of Moab, Ammon and the Meunites declared war on Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah, Jehoshaphat seeks God and prays for help. He prays "Oh Lord God of our fathers, the Only God in all the heavens, the Ruler of all the kingdoms of the earth - you are so powerful, so mighty. Who can stand against you? O our God, didn't you drive out the heathen who lived in this land when your people arrived? And didn't you give this land forever to the descendants of your friend Abraham...? Jehoshaphat recognizes God as their father, God as the sovereign ruler who rules heaven and earth. He remembers how God delivered them in the past. He reminds God of the promise that he had made to their forefather Abraham.He humbles himself and acknowledges their weakness and lack of wisdom in vs. 12Earlier, we read that Jehoshaphat gathered all his people to fast and pray to God. The message for us from this chapter is that when we are facing a impossible situation in our life, It's good to seek God with the people in our circle of influence, family and friends, for a season of fasting and prayer, to acknowledge God as our loving father, who is sovereign, one who rules heaven and earth. It's good to think of God's deliverance, how he helped us in the past in difficult situations and thank him for it. It's good to remind God of his promises to us. He has promised to be with us, to help us in times of trouble. Psalm 46. And it's also good to acknowledge our weakness and our helplessness and to ask God for wisdom in our particular situation. The Lord answered their prayer and comforted them "for the battle is not yours, but God's" vs. 15.God gave them wisdom to praise him. vs 21Ps. 50: 23 says "True praise is a worthy sacrifice, this really honors me. Those who walk my paths will receive salvation from the Lord." God gave them victory when they began to Praise him in faith."And at the moment they began to sing and praise the Lord, the Lord caused the armies of Ammon and Moab and Mount seir to begin fighting among themselves and they destroyed each other."vs. 22 We need to pray to God until faith is born in our heart.Faith, that he has heard our prayer and that he is going to help us.No good thing will he withhold from those who walk uprightly. When we are praying, if the Lord reminds us of anything that needs to be settled, let us make haste and settle those things immediately. Delayed obedience is equivalent to disobedience. So when God gives us this faith in our hearts, then it's good to Praise the Lord for his help. Let us keep praising the Lord, trusting in his love and care for us. The Lord will deliver you as he did for Jehoshaphat and Judah that day and you will be filled with joy again.