By Joseph Prince
“Hear me, O Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem: Believe in the Lord your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper.” And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the Lord, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying: “Praise the Lord, for His mercy endures forever.” —2 Chronicles 20:20–21
Today I want you to see two powerful keys to winning life’s battles from the account of King Jehoshaphat. The first is to believe in the Lord, and you will be established. God’s Word tells us also to believe the words of His prophets (the pastors and preachers whom God has placed in your life), and you shall prosper! That is the power of right believing. Don’t be myopic and be caught up with your current challenges, running around like a headless chicken, trying to solve your problems in your own strength. God doesn’t want you to live in a perpetual state of uncertainty, anxiety, stress, and fear. When you believe right, you will experience true Bible hope and start living with a certain, joyful, confident expectation of good regardless of your current circumstances.
The second key is to go into battle singing praises to God. This was what Jehoshaphat did. It may have been an unusual military strategy, but as the Israelites began to sing and praise, God caused confusion among the enemies’ camps, and they utterly destroyed one another. Judah did not draw a single sword that day, but the battle was won. In fact, it was won before Judah’s troops even arrived at the scene.
God deliberately records for us the words with which the people of Judah praised Him: “Praise the Lord, for His mercy endures forever.” Psalm 118 begins and ends with this same refrain—a refrain so close to God’s heart that it features very prominently in many key moments in Israel’s history (see 1 Chron. 16:7, 34; 2 Chron. 7:3). My friend, there is something very special about these two simple lines of praise. The word for “mercy” here is the very potent Hebrew word hesed, which speaks of God’s grace, love, tender mercies, and loving-kindness. No matter how many times you have failed and fallen short, and even if the troubles that surround you are a consequence of your own actions, would you turn to the Lord today and praise Him for His goodness and His hesed (His grace)?
When you are feeling down, overwhelmed, or fearful, worship Him with these words, and as you praise Him, He will “set ambushes” against all your enemies, troubles, fears, challenges, and addictions, as He did for Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah (see 2 Chron. 20:22). By the time you reach your battlefield, I believe your enemies will all have fallen. Not a single one of your adversaries will escape because the Lord Himself fights your battles.
This devotional is from 100 Days of Right Believing. Find out more about the book here.
Read past devotionals on the Joseph Prince app.