This is what the LORD says to you: "Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God's." 2 Chronicles 20:15

The ten-year-old boy walks into the house, wiping away his tears. "Did he tease you again?" his mother asks.
As he nods his head, she says, "I've had it! I'm calling the mother of that bully right now!"

"Oh, c'mon," Dad replies. "Do you want the kid to grow up to be a coward? He's got to fight his own battles!"

ASK GOD FOR HELP

It's a new year. We will experience our share of troubles, trials, and tears. Will our heavenly Father tell us we've got to fight our own battles? There's a wonderful story in the Bible that answers that question.

Second Chronicles chapter 20 tells us that one day breathless messengers arrived at the palace of King Jehoshaphat of Judah. They announced, "A vast army is coming against you from Edom, from the other side of the Sea. It is already in Hazazon Tamar" (v. 2).

What did King Jehoshaphat do? He called for a fast, and then he called on just one military advisor—the Lord. The king with over a million soldiers in his army said to his God, "We have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you" (v. 12).

When crises come in this new year, the right response will be to do what Jehoshaphat did—to come to God as needy sinners who nevertheless can hold God to his merciful promises. He will not let us down.

TRUST GOD TO ANSWER

God's response to Jehoshaphat was not, "Get some backbone! Fight your own battles!" It was a merciful promise: "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, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the LORD will be with you" (vv. 15,17).

The next morning King Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing as they went to face the enemy. The singing was not the ditties learned in boot camp, but a hearty rendition of Psalm 106:1: "Give thanks to the LORD, for his love endures forever" (2 Chronicles 20:21). I imagine that their singing stopped only when they reached the battlefield and stared dumbfounded at an army that already had fallen. As promised, God had fought their battle for them!

The God who years ago said, "The battle is not yours, but mine," still says it to his people today. He is saying it to you, whose problems seem insurmountable, whose future looks bleak, and whose fears are growing.