FEBRUARY 3: “Building Intimacy in Prayer: Jehoshaphat’s Model”

We all face battles every day, we face battles in our hearts, in our homes, over sin, over depression, anxiety, fear and many more. These battles come in different forms and shapes. While everyone’s battle looks different, the one thing we can be sure of is that we have a God who wants to fight for us. This is the case of King Jehoshaphat in our text today.

King Jehoshaphat is of Judah, the son of Asa, who reigned in the 9th century. He was the one who brought Judah into an alliance with the northern kingdom of Israel in the ninth century b.c., his name means God is the judge. In the text today, we saw him being confronted by the enemy who took the battle to him. King Jehoshaphat knew Judah did not stand a chance against their enemies but realized that it ultimately was not his battle to fight. It was God’s.

Jehoshaphat shows us four ways to let God fight for us. One such way is through an intimate prayer session with God. The Bible says, “Then Jehoshaphat stood up in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, at the temple of the Lord in the front of the new courtyard.”  His intimacy with God enabled him to ask God for help and to recognize his limitations. Amid the raging battle, Jehoshaphat did not allow it to interrupt his intimacy with God the bible says, he set his face to seeking the Lord. He determined in his heart that he would seek God.

As you step out today, remember that our devotion to God shall be tested, not only when we are winning, but when we are confronted with wars around us. Learn a valuable lesson from Jehoshaphat, today, that whatever it is that you are facing, or whatever it is that you will face in the future, you cannot go wrong if you will trust God with your situation.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, we thank you that you allow us to face challenges, so that our faith can be strengthened and loyalty tested; help us never to fail you at any of those moments and in faith we hand over all our battles to you in Jesus name.