Turning Panic into Praise
“And when he had taken counsel with the people, he appointed those who were to sing to the Lord and praise him in holy attire, as they went before the army, and say, “Give thanks to the Lord, for his steadfast love endures forever.” And when they began to sing and praise, the Lord set an ambush against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, so that they were routed.” 2 Chronicles 20:21-22
During the reign of Jehoshaphat, several pagan armies came against him for battle. Knowing the threat that his kingdom was facing, Jehoshaphat became fearful. But in his fear, Jehoshaphat “set his face to seek the Lord” (2 Chronicles 20:3). He also proclaimed a fast and as a result, all the cities of Judah "assembled to seek the Lord” (2 Chronicles 20:4). While the people were assembled together in the house of the Lord, Jehoshaphat stood before the people and said, “O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you” (2 Chronicles 20:6).
As he continued in his prayer and worship before the people, Jehoshaphat concluded, “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you” (2 Chronicles 20:12). Fear has a way of capturing our fullest attention. It’s been said, “whatever captures the mind, captures the man.” Fear and anxiety can paralyze us and keep us from moving forward in life. How do we overcome this paralyzing fear and other negative emotions? Like King Jehoshaphat, when fear captures our attention, we must turn our attention to God and worship Him.
If you study the prayer of Jehoshaphat when he was facing great threats to the kingdom, you will see that he gave more attention to the person, promises and power of God than he did the problems surrounding him. Jehoshaphat wasn’t just seeking God’s hand, he was seeking God’s face. And when Jehoshaphat and his people encountered the presence of God in worship, their fears turned to faith. Their panic turned to praise because they turned their worries into worship. Praise is the password into God’s presence (Psalm 100:4). This is the main reason why God Himself should be the ultimate objective of our prayers. When God is the objective of our prayers, we experience His presence. In His presence, we can come to know a supernatural joy and contentment that is not dependent on our circumstances (Psalm 16:11). In His presence, we are brought to repentance. In His presence, there is healing. In His presence, there is restoration. And when His power and presence is manifested in our lives, especially in difficult times, people around us can see God and their hearts can be opened to hear the saving message of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
After Jehoshaphat and his people encountered God through worshiped based prayer, they were reminded that the battle was the Lord’s (2 Chronicles 20:15). And in the morning of the battle the Bible says concerning Jehoshaphat, “And when he had taken counsel with the people, he appointed those who were to sing to the Lord and praise him in holy attire, as they went before the army, and say, “Give thanks to the Lord, for his steadfast love endures forever.” (2 Chronicles 20:21). Notice that the people were so encouraged in the presence of God, that the choir went before the army into battle. Afterwards we read, “And when they began to sing and praise, the Lord set an ambush against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, so that they were routed” (2 Chronicles 20:22). Before the physical battle began, the victory was already won in worship and thanksgiving to God.
Writing on our need to seek God’s face, Ron Auch noted, “I once heard Peter Lord speak about two types of seekers. First there are seekers that are beggars. A seeker that is a beggar looks to the hand. The other type of seeker is a lover. Lovers look to the eyes. In the Word, God says, “Seek my face.” All through the Old Testament it’s says, Seek my face, and yet all we seek is His hand. I didn’t go after my wife for her material possessions, I sought her face. I was going after her—not the things she possessed. There is a great principle we need to understand here about seeking first the kingdom of God. Even though I went after my wife’s eyes, I ended up with her hand. In other words, once you’ve got God, you have all that He is possessed of [and all that you truly need].”
In Jehoshaphat’s day, the people of God experienced victory over their enemies. And the greater victory was won before the physical battle began. They overcame their paralyzing fear in-spite of their circumstances because they were in the presence of the Lord. Like Jehoshaphat, we will face great challenges in this journey called life. There will be many battles to fight. But no matter what we face we can take great courage today in knowing that on the cross Jesus won the victory. As the Apostle Paul reminds us, “…we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans 8:37).
A discontented, discouraged or fearful heart is often an indication that something other than God has the primary attention of our hearts. So when negatives emotions and attitudes have the attention of your heart, turn your attention to God and worship Him. Fear will turn to faith when we turn our panic into praise and enter into the presence of the Lord.
Blessings
Pastor Marco
During the reign of Jehoshaphat, several pagan armies came against him for battle. Knowing the threat that his kingdom was facing, Jehoshaphat became fearful. But in his fear, Jehoshaphat “set his face to seek the Lord” (2 Chronicles 20:3). He also proclaimed a fast and as a result, all the cities of Judah "assembled to seek the Lord” (2 Chronicles 20:4). While the people were assembled together in the house of the Lord, Jehoshaphat stood before the people and said, “O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you” (2 Chronicles 20:6).
As he continued in his prayer and worship before the people, Jehoshaphat concluded, “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you” (2 Chronicles 20:12). Fear has a way of capturing our fullest attention. It’s been said, “whatever captures the mind, captures the man.” Fear and anxiety can paralyze us and keep us from moving forward in life. How do we overcome this paralyzing fear and other negative emotions? Like King Jehoshaphat, when fear captures our attention, we must turn our attention to God and worship Him.
If you study the prayer of Jehoshaphat when he was facing great threats to the kingdom, you will see that he gave more attention to the person, promises and power of God than he did the problems surrounding him. Jehoshaphat wasn’t just seeking God’s hand, he was seeking God’s face. And when Jehoshaphat and his people encountered the presence of God in worship, their fears turned to faith. Their panic turned to praise because they turned their worries into worship. Praise is the password into God’s presence (Psalm 100:4). This is the main reason why God Himself should be the ultimate objective of our prayers. When God is the objective of our prayers, we experience His presence. In His presence, we can come to know a supernatural joy and contentment that is not dependent on our circumstances (Psalm 16:11). In His presence, we are brought to repentance. In His presence, there is healing. In His presence, there is restoration. And when His power and presence is manifested in our lives, especially in difficult times, people around us can see God and their hearts can be opened to hear the saving message of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
After Jehoshaphat and his people encountered God through worshiped based prayer, they were reminded that the battle was the Lord’s (2 Chronicles 20:15). And in the morning of the battle the Bible says concerning Jehoshaphat, “And when he had taken counsel with the people, he appointed those who were to sing to the Lord and praise him in holy attire, as they went before the army, and say, “Give thanks to the Lord, for his steadfast love endures forever.” (2 Chronicles 20:21). Notice that the people were so encouraged in the presence of God, that the choir went before the army into battle. Afterwards we read, “And when they began to sing and praise, the Lord set an ambush against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, so that they were routed” (2 Chronicles 20:22). Before the physical battle began, the victory was already won in worship and thanksgiving to God.
Writing on our need to seek God’s face, Ron Auch noted, “I once heard Peter Lord speak about two types of seekers. First there are seekers that are beggars. A seeker that is a beggar looks to the hand. The other type of seeker is a lover. Lovers look to the eyes. In the Word, God says, “Seek my face.” All through the Old Testament it’s says, Seek my face, and yet all we seek is His hand. I didn’t go after my wife for her material possessions, I sought her face. I was going after her—not the things she possessed. There is a great principle we need to understand here about seeking first the kingdom of God. Even though I went after my wife’s eyes, I ended up with her hand. In other words, once you’ve got God, you have all that He is possessed of [and all that you truly need].”
In Jehoshaphat’s day, the people of God experienced victory over their enemies. And the greater victory was won before the physical battle began. They overcame their paralyzing fear in-spite of their circumstances because they were in the presence of the Lord. Like Jehoshaphat, we will face great challenges in this journey called life. There will be many battles to fight. But no matter what we face we can take great courage today in knowing that on the cross Jesus won the victory. As the Apostle Paul reminds us, “…we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans 8:37).
A discontented, discouraged or fearful heart is often an indication that something other than God has the primary attention of our hearts. So when negatives emotions and attitudes have the attention of your heart, turn your attention to God and worship Him. Fear will turn to faith when we turn our panic into praise and enter into the presence of the Lord.
Blessings
Pastor Marco