Courting Christ: Trust Him, Part 1

They rose early in the morning and went out to the wilderness of Tekoa; and when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, O Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, put your trust in the Lord your God and you will be established. Put your trust in His prophets and succeed.” - 2 Chronicles 20:20 (NASB)

We understand the need for trust between Marines, between police officers or between firemen. Yet we often forget the need for trust in d’vekut (the mystical relationship between God and man). But trust betrayed will founder any relationship.

King Jehoshaphat called on his people to trust God. Consider the circumstances in which he issued his challenge. Three ancient enemies had united against the Israelites and marched up the southern edge of the Dead Sea and the vast enemy armies were upon them before they even realized there was a problem.

I would like to draw your attention to a few characteristics of Jehoshaphat’s prayer that we can develop in our prayer life. First, his prayer was based on faith[1]. He was confident of the answer; saying “You WILL hear and deliver.” And if you pay attention to his use of the word “You”, you realize that he spoke directly to God. He saw no need for intermediaries, even in a day of priests and sacrifices.

Second, notice how he based his prayer on God’s promises[2]. He knew the Scriptures because verse 8 refers to Solomon’s prayer[3]. Many years later, Jesus said, “If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you.[4]” We need to make sure our prayers are in line with God’s Word.

Third, he made sure he based his prayer on the will of God[5]. He did not say, “God, you must do this or that.” His simple faith was stated in the last line of his prayer, essentially saying, “We do not know what to do, but we look to you[6].”

Trust implies obedience. The Israelites didn’t need to fight, but they still needed to go. They still needed to respond to God. This is always the case. This is where we put our faith to the test. Our active response says that we believe what we heard. We demonstrate our faith by our actions[7].

Jehoshaphat had established a one million man army[8]. He had fortresses, store cities, huge supplies and could muster 1,000,000 valiant warriors, besides those who manned the fortresses! But when the Moabites, Ammonites and Meunites came against him, his first thought was to turn to the Lord.

If we forget the God of righteousness in our response to life’s challenges, we will fail, no matter how vast our material resources may be. Stand and see. Be resolute. Find strength, not in your resources, but in your faith and moral strength.


[1] 2 Chronicles 20:5-9
[2] 2 Chronicles 20:5-9
[3] 2 Chronicles 6-7
[4] John 15:7 HCSB
[5] 2 Chronicles 20:10-13
[6] 2 Chronicles 20:12 HCSB
[7] James 1:22-26; John 14:15
[8] 2 Chronicles 17:12-19