In 2022, Run Bravely to the Battle and Sing by J. LEE GRADY for Charisma News
At the beginning of every year, I set aside several days to tune out distractions and seek the Lord about the coming year. Usually God gives me a word, a phrase or a specific Scripture that provides hope and guidance.
This year, the Lord dropped 2 Chronicles 20 in my heart, especially verse 22 (NASB1995), which describes how God defeated Israel’s enemies when the musicians and singers went into the battle in front of the warriors. It says: “When they began singing and praising, the Lord set ambushes against the sons of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; so they were routed.”
I don’t normally go looking for verses that match the number of a particular year. After all, scribes added the chapter and verse notations to Scripture, and we certainly don’t build our theology on these arbitrary numbers. But in this case, it seemed like a divine coincidence that the year 2022 matched this passage so perfectly.
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In this difficult pandemic season—a time that has been marked by intense political and social upheaval—many of us, like King Jehoshaphat, feel overwhelmed. It seems our spiritual enemies outnumber us. The last two years have been characterized by fear of a virus, political polarization and hostility toward biblical faith and values.
But I found a source of great hope, not just in verse 20 but also in the entire chapter. I plan to park in 2 Chronicles 20 for the rest of the year. I find in this passage some keys that will help us navigate this challenging season:
1. Jehoshaphat prayed. Second Chronicles 20:3 admits that King Jehoshaphat was afraid but that didn’t stop him from aggressively seeking God for help. He proclaimed a fast and when the people gathered for prayer, he cried out in his distress and declared that the Lord “will hear and deliver us” (v. 9).
