JEHOSHAPHAT’S POWERFUL PRAYERS
2 Chron. 20:1-25
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR
1. It's always curious to hear kids pray. They say what we’d like to say -- but never would!
2. Listen to these prayers: "DEAR GOD...
a. "Could you please give my brother some brains? So far he doesn't have any." Angela, 8.
b. "Thank you for the nice day today. You even fooled the TV weatherman." Hank, 7.
c. "Please help me in school. I need help in spelling, math, history, geography and writing. I don't need help in anything else." Lois, 9.
d. "I need to raise my allowance. Could you have one of your Angels tell my father? Thank you." David, 7.
e. "I am saying my prayers for me and my brother, Billy, because Billy is six months old and he can't do anything but sleep and wet his diapers." Diane, 8.
3. A five-year-old said grace at family dinner one night. "Dear God, thank you for these pancakes...." When he concluded, his parents asked him why he thanked God for pancakes when they were having chicken. He smiled and said, "I thought I'd see if He was paying attention tonight."
B. TEXT
2 Some men came and told Jehoshaphat, “A vast army is coming against you from Edom, from the other side of the Sea. It is already [at En Gedi]. 3 Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah. 4 The people…came from every town in Judah to seek him. 5 Then Jehoshaphat stood up in the assembly…at the Temple of the Lord…and said: “O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you. 7 O our God, did you not drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend? 8 They have lived in it and have built in it a sanctuary for your Name, saying, 9 ‘If calamity comes upon us, whether the sword of judgment, or plague or famine, we will stand in your presence before this temple that bears your Name and will cry out to you in our distress, and you will hear us and save us.’ 10 “But now here are men from Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, whose territory you would not allow Israel to invade when they came from Egypt; so they turned away from them and did not destroy them. 11 See how they are repaying us by coming to drive us out of the possession you gave us as an inheritance. 12 O our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you.” 13 All the men of Judah, with their wives and children and little ones, stood there before the Lord. 14 Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel son of Zechariah…as he stood in the assembly. 15 He said: “Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s. 16 Tomorrow march down against them. They will be climbing up by the Pass of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the gorge in the Desert of Jeruel. 17 You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.’”
18 Jehoshaphat bowed with his face to the ground, and all the people…fell down in worship before the Lord. 19 Then some… stood up and praised the Lord, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice.
20 Early in the morning they left for the Desert of Tekoa. As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful.” 21 After consulting
the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: “Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever.” 22 As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated. 23 The men of Ammon and Moab rose up against the men from Mount Seir to destroy and annihilate them. After they finished slaughtering the men from Seir, they helped to destroy one another. 24 When the men of Judah came to the place…they saw only dead bodies lying on the ground; 25There was so much plunder that it took three days to collect it.
C. THESIS
1. This morning we're going to look at a man and his prayer which moved the heart of God and had the equivalent effect of a nuclear bomb on an invading army.
2. Title: “Jehosh.’s Powerful Prayer”
I. A DARK TIME FOR JEHOSHAPHAT
A. A GOOD KING ATTACKED
1. Jehoshaphat was a godly King. He was leading his nation toward God. Through him many people were hearing about God.
2. But the Devil didn't like it. He purposed to destroy Jehoshaphat and the godly remnant. He sent a vast invading Army of three nations.
3. The Land Trembled. There was terror on every face. This invasion meant death, siege, destruction, starvation, slavery, loss of everything.
4. It was a dark hour for Jehoshaphat. It looked bleak.
5. Are you facing a hard time now? Watch closely what happens next.
B. FLUCTUATING FAITH
1. Although the Bible doesn't say it, I believe Jehoshaphat wrestled with what to do next.
2. WHAT OTHER KINGS WOULD DO? RATIONAL APPROACH.
a. Call up all able-bodied men and arm themselves.
b. Hire mercenaries.
c. Try to buy-off invaders was a huge bribe.
3. What do you do when disaster hits?
a. Panic? Blame God?
b. Go into depression? (Some get closer),
c. Try to solve it by natural means?
4. We know from READING, A BATTLE BTW JEHOSHAPHAT & 3 KINGS NEVER HAPPENED! AH! But it did! There were at least 2 battles:
a. First Battle: fought in the mind and heart of Jehoshaphat. Would he do like other Kings? Or trust God? From a practical sense, his actions would appear silly.
b. We are more than Conquerors! We are destined to Conquer. But we must know ‘who we are.’
ILLUS. A few years ago, everybody sang "I Went to the Enemy's Camp." The end of the song says, "He's under my feet, Satan is under my feet." There was a three-year-old girl in a church named Taylor. One day someone asked her, "Taylor, where does Jesus live?" She replied "In heaven." The person thought it would be cute to ask her where Satan lived. Without missing a beat, Taylor said, "Under my feet!" Many Christians need to ‘get that!’
c. Jehoshaphat had to consider how big his God was. HOW BIG IS YOUR GOD?
d. Jehoshaphat faced a physical problem with a spiritual solution -- a Prayer Meeting!
1). Have you lost your job? Pray!
2). Are you in physical pain? Pray!
3). Do you have temptation to sin? Pray!
4). Are you under oppression? Pray!
II. JEHOSH.’S KGDM-SHAKING PRAYER
Jehoshaphat prayed a prayer which shook heaven and then vanquished earthly kingdoms. Notice the seven traits/parts of this prayer:
A. HE PRAYED WITH FAITH
1. Jehoshaphat had reason to be afraid. But fear and faith are opposites.
2. Jehoshaphat elected to take his eyes off his problems and put them on the Mighty God, who Rules heaven and earth!
3. "O Lord, God….You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in your hand and no one can withstand You" Vs. 6.
4. Hebrews 11:6 says, "And without faith it is impossible to please him. For he that comes to God must believe that He IS and that He’s a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him!"
5. Dwight L. Moody's favorite verse was Isaiah 12:2; "I will trust and not be afraid." He used to say: "You can travel first class or second-class to heaven. Second class is, "What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee,” Psalm 56:3. First class is, "I will trust and not be afraid." That’s the better way. Why not travel first-class?
6. "Whatsoever you desire, when you pray, believe that you have received it, and it shall be yours" Mark 11:24.
B. JEHOSH. RECALLED GOD’S PAST ACTIONS
“You drove out the inhabitants of the land…and gave it to the descendents of Abraham your friend."
1. The same God who took care of us last year, will take care of us this year!
2. "Jesus Christ, the same, yesterday, today, and forever."
3. God hasn't changed -- He's still the living, supernatural God.
4. He’s No Respecter of Persons -- What He’ll do for someone else, He'll do for you.
C. REMINDS GOD OF THEIR RELATIONSHIP
1. Verses 6 & 7, "Our God," "God of our Fathers," "descendents of Abraham your friend."
2. He reminded God of Abraham's covenant with God.
We have a better covenant through Christ.
3. We've been adopted into God's family by the Spirit of His Son being put into our hearts.
4. Lord’s Prayer – "Our Father." Just as we have a special relationship with our children, so God has with us.
D. STOOD UPON THE PROMISES OF GOD
1. Vs. 9. Quoted a promise made to Solomon. When God makes a promise, He'll fulfill it. "I am watching over My Word to perform it."
2. God's Word is God's Promise.
3. His Word shall not return void/empty, but will accomplish the purpose for which He sent it.
4. His promises/nature are the ground we can stand firm on to press our claims.
E. HIS PRAYER WAS HUMBLE
1. Verse 12, "We have no power..."
2. "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble."
F. HIS PRAYER WAS SINCERE
1. Three ministers stood on a sidewalk discussing what the best positions for praying, while a Power Co. man worked nearby. "Kneeling is definitely best," claimed one. "No," another contended. "I get the best results standing with my hands raised." "You're both wrong," the third argued. "The most effective prayer position is lying on the floor face down." The Power Co. man couldn't contain himself any longer. "Hey, guys," he interrupted, "the best praying I ever did was hanging upside down from a telephone pole."
2. James 5:16, "The [fervent, KJV] prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."
G. HIS PRAYER WAS EXPECTANT
1. Verse 12, "Our eyes are upon You," Vs. 13, "Judah stood."
2. They believed they had been heard and waited for God to move/respond.
3. ILLUS: GOD ONLY A SQUEAL AWAY.
a. Rod Cooper says, “We raised pigs. We raised about a thousand pigs a year. In one field we had two or three hundred little oinkers running around.
Every day, at four in the morning, as I’d walk into the field to feed those guys, they’d scatter.
b. Once a little pig came up and began to chew on my foot, so I picked him up and began to pet him. Soon he wanted down. I said, "No, I’ll let you down when I’m ready."
c. At that moment, he let out a squeal such as I had never heard. In about two seconds, thirty mama pigs weighing five to six hundred pounds each were headed my way.
d. I put him down and headed for the fence. I barely made it over, and all the mama pigs were snorting and walking back and forth, daring me to come back over and bother one of their kids.
e. I look back at that and realize the little rascal wasn’t intimidated. He wasn’t totally in control of the situation, but he wasn’t intimidated. Why? Because one squeal away he had resources.
f. I don’t want to sound disrespectful to you, but in the same way, “GOD IS ONLY ONE SQUEAL AWAY!”
III. THE OUTCOME
A. GOD’S MESSAGE TO THEM
1. Verse 15b, "The Battle is Not Yours, but God's."
Vs. 17; "You won’t have to fight this battle."
2. Verse 17. "Stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you."
3. Verse 17, "Go out and face them tomorrow and the Lord be with you." It wasn't really necessary that they go, but we must have the courage to face our troubles. The wonderful thing is, we don't go alone! The Lord is with us!
B. BEGAN PRAISING GOD FOR THE VICTORY BEFORE THEY SAW IT! Manifestation of higher faith.
1. To some it looks like foolishness
2. God wants us to rise to a higher level -- faith walk -- of trusting Him.
3. Verse 22; "As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against... their enemies."
a. Their faith provoked God to action. (Paul & Silas; 3 Hebrews)
b. God is a liberator: from bondage, sickness, lack, ignorance, weakness, doubts, fear.
c. The Closer we get to God, the More:
-- Our bands are loosed;
-- Our closed doors are opened;
-- Our ropes are burned off.
C. RESULT
1. The enemies turned and destroyed themselves.
2. Israel plundered their enemies!
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION: FACING THE ENEMY
1. A painting in a museum portrays one way Amer. Indians hunted Elk (deer). It shows a herd of elk being driven into a river. Nearby were many canoes, each manned with native warriors armed with spears. The purpose? Once in the water, the elk would be easy prey for the waiting warriors.
2. The Indians would approach the herd with lots of noise from all sides. Hemmed in and scared to death by the noise, the elk will not turn to face the enemy.
3. Instead, they will turn tail and run for the only opening available to them, in this case, the river. Though good swimmers, elk were no match for the swift canoes and the Indian warriors. Dozens could be speared in just a few minutes.
4. If you think about it, had these elks turned to face what they thought to be their "enemy" – the noise – they likely would have forced their way through the lines with very few casualties! A bad choice cost the lives of many in the herd.
5. Just like the elk, we also often face heavy trials, some of which originate from our Adversary, the devil. And just like the elk, our tendency is to run away from them.
6. However, you can't run from your problems, and sooner or later, you’ll have to face them. This morning is the time to face them, but with God!
B. THE CALL
1. How many are facing a dark time in your life? It’s time to call upon the Lord! God is a God who hears and answers prayer! If you want prayer, why don’t you stand up right where you are.
2. Why don’t you take one more step and come stand together up here at the front. We’re going to pray for you.
3. The Bible says, "Pray one for the other." Let’s get one person to come put a hand on their shoulder; ladies with ladies, men with men.
4. How many want to commit to pray for someone else's deliverance?
5. Salvation call.
STEPS: 1. Prayed with faith; 2. Recalled God's Past actions; 3. Reminded of Relationship; 4. Stood on the Promises; 5. Was Humble; 6. Was sincere /fervent; 7. Prayed with Expectation.
