It’s important for us to know that our Father isn’t afraid to be with us in our mess.
He’s not afraid of the dirt.
He’s not afraid of the crazy.
He’s not afraid of your temper.
He’s not afraid of your shortcomings.
He’s not afraid of your sharp tongue.
He’s not afraid of your boss at work.
He’s still with you. He’s waiting to show Himself faithful on your behalf. God’s right there just waiting for you to grab His hand through all your struggle.
When we’re in the middle, God calls us to be still and stand firm. To be still means to remain in place and at rest, motionless.[1] That means you’re not blowing up everybody’s phone in a panic, not ranting on social media, not sending hate mail, but just being still. To be still also means to be “free from sound or noise.”[2] Silent. At peace, even in the middle. Your mind might be racing with thoughts like, But wait, God! I need to tell them because they need to know how I feel. I need to fight this myself, God. They need to know. I need to show up. I need to stand up. Who’s going to fight for me? Just be still.
In some seasons, God wakes up the fight inside you. In other seasons, He says, “Don’t fight; let Me fight for you.” Sometimes we put on our gloves to get in the ring. Other times we don’t have the energy to get out of bed. And when that happens, you can find rest in your Father.
Just be still.
“You will not even need to fight,” says 2 Chronicles 20:17. When we’re in the middle of a battle, our tendency is to jump in and fight it ourselves, which is just human nature. But that’s not God’s nature. The verse goes on to say, “Take your positions; then stand still and watch the Lord’s victory. He is with you, O people of Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or discouraged. Go out against them tomorrow, for the Lord is with you!” The Lord of hosts is with you. God and His angel armies are fighting this battle for you. So you’re not showing up to this battle alone. God isn’t saying, “Don’t come to the battle. Stay at home. Put your head under a pillow, and hide.” He’s gangster. He says, “Come. Put on your full armor. Come to the battle. Come to the fight. Come to the front lines, and watch Me as I fight on your behalf. Watch Me fight this battle for you. Watch Me slay these giants. Come. Come expectant. Don’t chase the battle. Just stay still. Be battle ready and show up.”
Show up in your marriage, even when it’s hard.
Show up to your job on those days when you think, Really? Really? They’re going to ask me to do that again, really?
Show up for your friends who need you.
Show up to church when you’re in the middle of something.
When we show up, we see God work. He says, “Be present, be alert, but stand still.” We don’t have to carry the weight of the battle on our own shoulders. This is such good news. We don’t have to do life by ourselves. He’s with us.
Exodus 14 tells us how the children of Israel were trapped on every side. They couldn’t escape the Red Sea in front of them and the Egyptian army behind them. But Moses told the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today” (verse 13, NKJV). Anticipate that God is going to show up, and be expectant about what He will do, not what He might do. The passage continues, “The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace” (verse 14, NKJV). If you feel trapped with no escape possible, God is saying, “I’ve got you. Just stand, be still, and rest in knowing that I’m going to fight this for you. You do not have to fight it yourself.”
Be expectant about what He will do, not what He might do.
He hasn’t forgotten you. Your circumstances right now are setting you up for your future. The battle is a setup for His light to shine. It’s a setup for His peace to fill your heart. It’s a setup for Him to get the glory and the honor and the praise. But you have to stand, you have to be still, and you have to let Him fight for you. Get out of the fight because victory is already yours. God claimed victory for every single thing we would ever face when He died on the cross. He didn’t say life was going to be easy. But He did say, “I’ve come to fight for you. I’ve come to overcome, and I’ve come to bring life.”
Ephesians 6:10–13 says, “Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand” (NIV).
The struggle is not against your spouse. It’s not against your boss. It’s not against your co-workers. It’s not against your family.
Stand your ground. If you get that unexpected phone call, if you get that unexpected text message, if you get fired or broken up with, stand. Stand. He’s going to fight this battle for you. He’s going to win this battle for you.
The Bible offers such strength to us: “Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:57–58, NIV).
And we have this encouragement too: “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9, NIV).
What are you in the middle of right now? I want to tell you that our God is faithful to do exceedingly abundantly more than you could ever ask, think, or imagine.[3] I challenge you to stand still in your middle until He shows up.
Let’s Pray
Father God, I am Your daughter; You see me. I thank You that You are changing the atmosphere around me right now. I thank You that Your presence is with me. I thank You that You are transforming my life, and I pray that You would give me the strength that I need to stand, no matter what I’m facing. I pray that You would fight every battle for me, that You would renew my mind, and that You would strengthen me from the inside out. God, please show up in my life, show up in my family, show up in my job, show up in my body, and show up in my city. I thank You for the revival taking place in me. Thank You that, even in the middle, even in the waiting, even in the preparation, You are still God.
13 Worship in the Battle
When we find ourselves in the middle of a battle or facing an impossible situation, God equips us with a surprising tool. That’s what Jehoshaphat learned, and it’s what we need to learn too.
Jehoshaphat became the king of Judah and within a few years found himself in an impossible situation. Second Chronicles 20 tells us, “The Moabites and Ammonites with some of the Meunites came to wage war against Jehoshaphat. Some people came and told Jehoshaphat, ‘A vast army is coming against you from Edom….” Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah” (verses 1–3, NIV).
Do you ever feel like life is just waging war against you? Jehoshaphat felt like this. A vast army was coming against him. I love the word resolved here. In his fear, in his moment of feeling like, What the what? It just got real, it’s like he said to himself, “I’m not going to let this battle crush me. I may feel a little shaken right now, but I’m going to be strong in faith.” He found courage to say, “I’m not going to fight this in my flesh, so let’s fast.” To fast is to give up something. You have to die to yourself and to the way you want to accomplish or fix things. That’s what Jehoshaphat did. He said, “I can’t fight this battle by myself. I’m going to call a fast for everybody so that we can seek the face of God.” Picture this: He was in the courtyard with all the people of his kingdom. Every man, woman, and child was represented. God wanted even the children, who were Judah’s next generation, to see how people should roll when they’re in the middle. The enemy was marching toward them and wasn’t stopping, but they turned to the Lord. I love this.
Then Jehoshaphat stood up before the crowd and said, “Lord, the God of our ancestors, are you not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you” (verse 6, NIV).
Sometimes we have to remind ourselves—and everyone watching—who God is. We have to say, “Father God, I thank You that You’re God of this situation. I thank You that You’re still on the throne. I thank You that You own the kingdoms and that You know the beginning and the end. You’re the Alpha and Omega even while I’m facing impossible odds.” Even though Jehoshaphat was fearful, he didn’t want the situation to overwhelm him. So he reminded himself and all his people of the One who was still on the throne.
Jehoshaphat continued praying: “We have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you” (verse 12, NIV). I love that Jehoshaphat was honest about the situation. He didn’t pretend he knew what the next steps were but admitted he had no clue what to do. Because he was a young king, he could’ve thought he needed to prove to everyone that he was competent, that he had this figured out. But he was honest and humble. He didn’t let pride get in the way. We shouldn’t either. It’s okay if we don’t know what to do. Jehoshaphat said, “Our eyes are on you.” Whatever you’re battling, keep your eyes on God. Don’t stare at the situation. Put your focus on Him, and He will give you the clarity that you need to walk the situation out.
This next part gets exciting. The Holy Spirit settled on Jahaziel, and he said to all the people gathered there, “Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s…. You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you” (verses 15, 17, NIV).
In the middle of the crisis, the Spirit of the Lord spoke through a Levite. His declaration was spontaneous. Jehoshaphat didn’t instruct Jahaziel to jump up with a speech to bring peace. God moved Jahaziel to speak a prophetic word. The interesting thing is, Jahaziel’s name means “beheld by God.”[1] I don’t think that was accidental. I think that the Spirit of the living God flooded that place to remind them that each one of them was beheld by God.
I’m believing that you will come to know that you are beheld by God. God knows you. God knows you. How comforting that is.
After hearing God’s words spoken through Jahaziel, Jehoshaphat bowed down, and all the people of Judah, too, their faces on the ground before the Lord. And they praised God with loud shouts.
Instead of letting fear override the situation, the people worshipped God. Sometimes, when the battle’s raging against us, we have to speak to the situation and let it know that this battle isn’t going to take us out. Sometimes, when negative thoughts come against our minds, we have to start worshipping and praising God, saying, “God, I’m not going to let these thoughts override Your promises.” That’s what the people of Judah did.
