2 Chron. 20:12, O our God, will You not judge them? 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.”
13 All Judah was standing before the LORD, with their infants, their wives and their children.
Jahaziel Answers the Prayer
14 Then in the midst of the assembly the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, the Levite of the sons of Asaph; 15 and he said, “Listen, all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: thus says the LORD to you, ‘Do not fear or be dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours but God’s.
In this fallen world Jesus promised that we would have tribulation. The great multitude that comes against us might not be actual opposing armies like Jehoshaphat faced, but nevertheless our battles are very real. Our overwhelming enemy may come in the form of temptation, circumstances, or relationships. I have often prayed Jehoshaphat’s prayer; “I am powerless against this great multitude, and I do not know what to do…” I love how he concludes that prayer by saying “but our eyes are on you.” He was waiting to hear from God about his situation, and when God did speak through the prophet, it was very simple. God told him that it wasn’t his battle to fight but it was God’s. Fear and dismay come from imagining that the battle is ours to figure out, and fight instead of remembering that it is God’s battle. Biblically, the opposite of fear is not courage; it is faith. In Mark 5:36, Jesus said “Fear not, only believe.” The grammar there is actually “don’t be afraid any longer, just keep believing.” The antidote to fear is not trying to stop being afraid; instead the antidote to fear is faith in the fact that the battle is God’s and that He will be faithful. It is interesting that in the story of 2 Chronicles 20, after telling them that He will fight the battle; He doesn’t tell them how He is going to do it. He basically just tells them to go out and face life, praising Him, and watch Him work. He walks on the wings of the wind, and because we are in Christ, He invites us to rest in Him, and enjoy the ride.