DCLM Daily Manna 23 December 2023

TOPIC: Victory Through Prayer and Praise

TEXT:  2 Chronicles 20:1-19 (KJV) 
20 It came to pass after this also, that the children of Moab, and the children of Ammon, and with them other beside the Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat to battle.

² Then there came some that told Jehoshaphat, saying, There cometh a great multitude against thee from beyond the sea on this side Syria; and, behold, they be in Hazazontamar, which is Engedi.

³ And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.

⁴ And Judah gathered themselves together, to ask help of the Lord: even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord.

⁵ And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, before the new court,

⁶ And said, O Lord God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven? and rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen? and in thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee?

⁷ Art not thou our God, who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and gavest it to the seed of Abraham thy friend for ever?

⁸ And they dwelt therein, and have built thee a sanctuary therein for thy name, saying,

⁹ If, when evil cometh upon us, as the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we stand before this house, and in thy presence, (for thy name is in this house,) and cry unto thee in our affliction, then thou wilt hear and help.

¹⁰ And now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moab and mount Seir, whom thou wouldest not let Israel invade, when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them, and destroyed them not;

¹¹ Behold, I say, how they reward us, to come to cast us out of thy possession, which thou hast given us to inherit.

¹² O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee.

¹³ And all Judah stood before the Lord, with their little ones, their wives, and their children.

¹⁴ Then upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, came the Spirit of the Lord in the midst of the congregation;

¹⁵ And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the Lord unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s.

¹⁶ To morrow go ye down against them: behold, they come up by the cliff of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the end of the brook, before the wilderness of Jeruel.

¹⁷ Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the Lord will be with you.

¹⁸ And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the Lord, worshipping the Lord.

¹⁹ And the Levites, of the children of the Kohathites, and of the children of the Korhites, stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel with a loud voice on high.

KEY VERSE
“And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.” 
(2 Chronicles 20:3)

DCLM Daily Manna Saturday 23 December 2023 MESSAGE

Dwight L. Moody was not educated. His letters were full of grammatical errors. His physical appearance was not all that impressive. His voice and tone were very irritating. But these handicaps did not prevent God from using him to shake two continents in his own time.

True to the foregoing is a replica of a character in today’s text – King Jehoshaphat. In this passage, Judah did not do anything to provoke the attack from their enemies. The children of Moab and the children of Ammon, combined with Mount Seir to fight Judah. Jehoshaphat resorted to a warfare of prayer and praise, and sought God’s intervention. He defeated his enemies because God was on his side.

READ DCLM Daily Manna Friday 22 December 2023 – Our God Cares

At times, you could find yourself in such a situation as this. If it does not happen to an individual, it could happen to a family, a church or a nation. Sometimes, the people you trusted or relied upon may turn against you, rallying forces and wars against you. Some institutions may close their doors against you. What we do at such a time matters. We should be able to plead our cause before God.

If we are in a good relationship with Him, if we have not done anything to warrant the upsurge of the enemies against our lives, families, church or nation, God will come to our defence. King Jehoshaphat could intercede on behalf of Judah before God, knowing fully that their hearts were in good condition with God. In times of problems, it is not only the leaders that should come to God. All the people, young and old, should come together before God and plead their cause. God is always ready to answer the prayers of His people. He is always ready to deliver us in times of national calamities and family distress.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: There is power and victory in the prayer of unity.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Jude 1