“Now the LORD was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the former ways of his father David; he did not seek the Baals, but sought the God of his father, and walked in His commandments and not according to the acts of Israel. Therefore the LORD established the kingdom in his hand; and all Judah gave presents to Jehoshaphat, and he had riches and honor in abundance. And his heart took delight in the ways of the LORD; moreover he removed the high places and wooden images from Judah.” 2 Chronicles 17:3-6 NKJ
In life we don’t always get the opportunity to choose our circumstances. For example you may have been born into a dysfunctional family and suffered abuse growing up. You may be facing divorce or you may have gone through a divorce that left you traumatized. You might have been laid off and had to take a bankruptcy or have had a difficult time finding work. Maybe you can’t have children or you have tried, but suffered from a miscarriage. Maybe you are suffering from an illness. Maybe you have children and they are living in a risky lifestyle. Maybe you have been wounded by people and have a difficult time trusting. These are only a few of the millions of circumstances that can rattle a person to the core and can cause them to feel unstable or shaky in their faith or hope.
Jehoshaphat had an uncontrollable circumstance in His life and here is what Jahaziel said when the Spirit of the Lord came on him. He told Jehoshaphat and the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem, “And he said, “Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the LORD to you: ‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.” “You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the LORD, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the LORD is with you.” (2 Chronicles 20:15 - 17 NKJ)
But what was the first thing Jehoshaphat did when he got the news that the Moabites, Ammonites, and Meunites had come to engage him in battle? And what prepared him to respond to Jahaziel’s words? 2 Chronicles 20:3 AMP says, “Then Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself [determinedly, as his vital need] to seek the Lord; he proclaimed a fast in all Judah.”
You see we can’t always choose our circumstances but we always get to choose what stance we take in them. We can turn to worldly advice (high places) and take a stance of humanistic reasoning, which leads to fear and uncertainty. Or we can do as Jehoshaphat did and turn to God as our vital need and seek Him wholeheartedly! We can take a stance of vigorous spiritual renewal that strengthens us to stand strong in the Lord as we wait to see His salvation overcome in our circumstance! Remember that the Word of God and the Spirit of God have been given to us to teach us ALL things that pertain to life and godliness, through our knowledge of Him. (2 Peter 1:3, John 14:26)
Now something that is vitally important to remember as New Covenant disciples is that we have something they didn’t have under the Old Covenant. They had God with them but His hand of salvation in their circumstance depended on their adherence to keeping His laws. At any time when a king turned from God, God removed Himself from them and they suffered destruction. This is not the case with the New Covenant people of God! We have God IN us and His hand of salvation in our circumstances isn’t dependant on our striving to keep His laws. It was solely dependent on what Jesus did for us at the Cross!
Because Jesus obeyed to the point of death and fulfilled the old law, we have the assurance that God will NEVER leave us or forsake us in the midst of ANY circumstance, even the ones we create ourselves! He is ALWAYS with us! Our responsibility is to believe this truth by faith, seek Him wholeheartedly, and take a stance of faith until we see the salvation of the Lord in our circumstance. If the circumstance resides in the mind due to past memories or fear, we wait for Him to renew our mind. If the circumstance is in a relationship, we wait for Him to resolve the relationship or to move us from it. If it is financial we wait for Him to fulfill His Word that says He supplies ALL our need according to His riches in glory! Whatever the circumstance is, we believe by faith, act in love, and wait for God to perform His Word on our behalf!
Because of what Jesus did for us at the Cross the victory in EVERY circumstance belongs to us, even if it doesn’t appear to; based on what we see taking place in the natural realm. It is when we understand this and walk in it that we will SEE the salvation of the Lord overcoming on our behalf in our circumstances. And this is when we too will be supplied with an abundance of blessings just like Jehoshaphat was. Those blessings manifest in the spiritual realm first in the form of the fruit of the Spirit, and then they manifest in the natural realm depending on what our need is according to His riches in glory! So my question today is this. What stance are you taking in your circumstances and do you have any high places that you need to remove in order for you to seek God wholeheartedly?
Prayer: I praise You Lord for ALWAYS leading me in triumph! I choose today to take a stance of faith in the midst of my circumstances. I believe by faith that as I stand still I will see Your salvation overcome in my circumstance. Thank You for never leaving me or forsaking me. I will praise You and worship You as I wait for You! Amen
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