What to Do When the Battle Is Bigger Than You

What should you do when you cannot control the situation in front of you?

In 2 Chronicles 20, Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah faced an army they were powerless to defeat. God did not ask them to control the battle. He asked them to take their position. 

That same invitation applies to us.

We are called to stand in God’s Presence

Before Judah stood on the battlefield, the people stood before the Lord. Now I'll admit...it's very easy to turn this into a tragically misapplied bible story from the Old Testament. The Bible isn't telling us to never do anything. Or that God every situation that feels difficult will turn out in a visibly victorious manner. And even though the majority of people reading this aren't facing a battle with swords and shields, we still have battles. We still have people in our lives that feel like (or literally are) enemies. We still have internal battles waging war against us. 

Our battlefields may be a hospital room, a strained relationship, a financial crisis, or a decision with no easy answer. Our instinct is often to react immediately—to speak, plan, worry, or imagine every possible outcome. And THEN...only after exhausting ourselves do we finally pray. Even though we know the answer is to pray. We know it in speech, but we fail to know it in our actions. Consequently, prayer is often a last resort. 

Judah did the opposite. God’s presence was their first position.

We need to do the same...to stand before God's presence. But what does that mean? Simply put, to stand in God's presence is to allow yourself to be vulnerable before him. To be honest with where you are and what you need. It's to allow him to see your fears and concerns and anxieties. Admitting the reality of your situation before God doesn't make you weak or faithless. It keeps fear from becoming your commander..

Step Forward in Obedience

God promised to fight for Judah, but they still had to march toward the enemy.

Imagine the scene. You're a young warrior enlisted to fight. But it's not like you're in the war tent, strategizing the next move. You're not speaking with the King, commanders, or captains. You're simply a soldier, following rank and authority. What follows next would have been difficult to accept. Rather than sharpening swords and shields, finding the perfect place to hide, or walking through the plan one more time, you're told that it's about time to march down to the enemy . And that the big power play is to assemble the choir at the front of the marching army. That's it. 

We're going to sing. 

To move forward would have required great trust. It would have required great faith. But most of all, it would have required great obedience. 

And that's the issue at hand for most of us. Obedience. We can talk big faith, but will we live out big obedience? We love miraculous endings, but we often resist the obedience God asks of us before them. That may look like forgiving someone,  having  a difficult conversation, acting with integrity, or continuing to trust when we cannot see how the story will end.

But that's the incredible invitation God extends to us. Our responsibility is to obey Him. His responsibility is everything else.