BERACHAH: TURNING BATTLES TO BLESSINGS

“Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s – 2 Chronicles 20:15b

We’ve seen that Blessings do not necessarily exclude Battles. God specializes in TURNING BATTLES INTO BLESSINGS! The story of King Jehoshaphat teaches us how to recognise that our battles belong to the Lord and be blessed therein. This story is relevant to every Christian, because we all face battles daily: spiritual, emotional, career, health, family, financial, and relational battles. It illustrates the spiritual principles in winning the battles of life: turning battles to blessings. Jehoshaphat was king of Judah, while Ahab was king of Israel. His was a reign of blessings, as he feared the Lord and reformed the nation of Judah (2Chr.17:6-10; 19:6,9). Despite his faithfulness however, he was not exempted from battles. Suddenly, he heard that three enemy nations had besieged him. Though he “feared”, he “set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah” (vv.1-3).

After the blessings came the battles, but Jehoshaphat didn’t complain or murmur against the Lord for allowing the battles to come. How do we handle life’s battles after seasons of blessings? How does the righteous person reconcile the blessings and the battles of life? God always has the best ways to handle life’s battles. Here are four biblical principles to turning battles into blessings:

Prayer – Seek help from the Lord Almighty (vv.3-4). People came from every town on Judah to seek the Lord. Prayer ought to be the first – not the last – weapon in facing life’s battles. When you’re dismayed or discouraged, simply take it to the Lord in prayer! “Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere? You should never be discouraged. Take it to the Lord in prayer.” What blessings we forfeit because we don’t take things to the Lord in prayer! This was the summary of Jehoshaphat’s prayer: “Lord, I know you’ve helped me in the past. I know you can help me in the future; so, please help me now” (vv.6-12). He was remembering God’s goodness to Israel in the past, just like David did in his encounter with Goliath. Extolling God’s goodness in the past strengthens our confidence in Him.

Humility – Hand the battles over to the Lord: “we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You” (v.12). If you don’t know what to do, you must know where to look! To overcome life’s battle, we must rely on God’s power, admit our inadequacy and powerlessness without His help, and keep our focus on Him: “I will lift up my eyes to the hills – from whence comes my help? My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth” (Psa.121:1-2). My help comes from the One who made the hills – the LORD! The only kind of person God doesn’t help is the person who doesn’t think he needs help – the proud.

Faith – Stand firm on the Lord’s assurance. God quickened Judah’s confidence in His ability in battle (vv.15-17). Jehoshaphat had a mighty army that he could have trusted in (2Chr.17:12-19). But he chose to trust in the Lord. God who has never lost a battle promised to fight for him. In Christ, we also are “more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Rom.8:37b). Problems shrink in size when we turn them over to the Lord! We stand firm on the faithfulness, promises, and power of God. He will never let us down!

Praise the Lord in advance of Victory (v.21-22). “Singers” were the frontline troops! Victory manifested “when they began to sing”! God’s Plan worked! The enemies got confused and ended up destroying one another (vv.23). It took three days to gather the spoils of war (vv.24-25). If you do not get discouraged, it takes more time to gather God’s blessings than to fight the problems! The battle is for a moment, but the blessings are for days! God’s blessings always far outweigh the battles. Our light and momentary battles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all (2Cor.4:17). Welcome to Berachah – the Valley of Blessing!