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“Lord, we don’t know what to do….” {2 Chron. 20:12}. Haven’t we all been in that place? The one where the answers don’t come. The plans are uncertain. Where everyone is counting on us and we want to count the steps to the exit.
What will we put after the pause in that sentence? I have filled it in so many ways.
“I don’t know what to do…so I’m going to eat another brownie.”
“I don’t know what to do…so I’m going to listen to the latest expert on television.”
“I don’t know what to do…so I’m going to try harder to please everyone.”
We all have our favorites. And we can all probably learn from Jehosaphat, who first spoke those words when a vast army was approaching. Because in that hard, scary moment he said this: “Lord, we don’t know what to do…but our eyes are upon You.” We think we must know what to do. But in reality all we really need to know is Who. Because that is what makes the difference. That is what matters. That’s what brings the victory.
After this, Jehosaphat does something we won’t find in any war instruction book, not in any military briefing. He puts the worshippers in front of the army. He leads with the singers and the praisers. Not the generals but the choir members. This makes sense when we consider, “The sword of the Spirit…is the word of God” {Eph. 6:17}. Truth is a powerful weapon. And the truest thing of all is who God is. His character is a fortress, a battering ram, a bomb and an all-out assault on evil. This means worship is absolutely undefeatable.
Perhaps, too, the worshippers needed to go first as an act of war against fear as well. This battle didn’t look easily won. The Israelites were outnumbered, worn-out and seemingly ready to be overrun.
Haven’t we felt like that sometimes too? And in those moments, isn’t fear really our biggest enemy? It’s our Goliath challenging us, and we are the soldiers trying to put on our manmade armor, trembling because we know what is human is not going to be enough. Then it dawns on us and we drop the shield. We realize we have another option. Praise is the sling and the stones. The secret weapon. Stronger than our solutions. Mightier than our education and experience. More effective than a thousand bullet points.
So if we are unsure about what to do today, if the enemy is coming and the battle is raging and maybe we have even been wounded—let us stand our ground and raise our voices. Let us speak the truth about who God is and what He has done. About how big He is. How much He loves us. The ways He has always held the universe and our little part of it in His hands.
We cannot lose with Him. We cannot be overcome.
I wrote these words first in a spiral notebook in the dim of a church, right in the middle of a service with singing all around. When I looked up from the page I saw a few of my sisters with arms raised. I know their stories. I’ve seen their scars. For the first time I realized those hands lifted to heaven aren’t empty—they are holding invisible swords. Not for fighting each other, not ever, but for an unseen enemy.
To be a worshipper is to be a warrior.
Jehosaphat won his battle.
We will too.
XOXO
Holley Gerth
{You can read the entire amazing story of Jehosaphat in 2 Chronicles 12:1-30.}
p.s. If you liked this post, you’ll love this book—You’re Going to Be Okay: Encouraging Truth Your Heart Needs to Hear, Especially on the Hard Days.
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Welcome to the Coffee for Your Heart weekly link-up! You’re an encourager so I’m asking you to pour out a little love with your words every Wednesday {link-up goes live at 5:30am CST}. Simply write an encouraging blog post and then share it here. Don’t have a blog? You can still write an encouraging comment. If you’re reading this by email, go to holleygerth.com to see all the fun and join in too.
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I’m having Coffee For Your Heart with my friend Holley Gerth
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