This afternoon we looked at the Valley of Berakah (2 Chronicles 20.) We are a blessed people, but the story of Jehoshaphat gives us valuable insight about how to deal with a crisis (as well as giving us an answer to a Bible quiz question about the name of the prophet whose word from the Lord turned a trial into a triumph!)
When faced with imminent war, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord and called people to seek God and fast. He involved God in his problem, but he also kept his eyes firmly fixed on God, on who He is and what He has done. This is the secret to standing firm in difficult times. The problems we face are not bigger than the God we serve, but we must wait for God’s word.
Jehoshaphat reminded God of His promise to Solomon that in times of judgement, famine and plague, He would listen and hear His people’s cries of distress. The result of this earnest seeking was God spoke through the prophet Jahaziel, giving clarity, strategy and encouragement to the king. We desperately need God’s ‘now’ word for our situations and must then mix our faith with obedience. God speaks through individuals and we need the prophetic word of God in our lives. God may not reveal His whole plan at once, but we must learn to do what He says.
Reassured by the word that they would not have to fight and that the battle is the Lord’s, Jehoshaphat organised worship as the one thing he could control. It’s always the right time to praise God, and we must learn to do what we can – and leave God to do the rest. God worked a miracle while the people were praising, so that they did not have to fight. Not only that, but they were able to take so much plunder that it took three days to move it (hence the naming of this trial as the Valley of Berakah, the valley of blessing.)
God is a God who wants to bless His people abundantly. Because the people of God obeyed God and did what they could do, instead of fretting about what they could not do, they did indeed see the deliverance the Lord had promised. This is always God’s way. He promises us victory, but that victory only becomes reality as we do what He has commanded. The people took the plunder back from the Valley of Berakah, and what started as impending doom and a trial beyond their means to survive became a victory song.
God blesses His people as we call on Him in our distress, wait on Him for His word and do what He says.