Hope For Deliverance

Hope For Deliverance 2 Chronicles 20:12 O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee. 13 And all Judah stood before the LORD, with their little ones, their wives, and their children.

Hope For Deliverance To begin with brothers and sisters, Christian Friends, Well Wishers and Saints of God it is a serious thing to put your Hope and trust in a persona place or a thing. But when you put your Hope in the Lord everything will be alright. The story goes that we have King Jehoshaphat crying out to God for Deliverance.

And the question is why does an anointed king like Jehoshaphat have to cry our to God for help against enemies? Well for one thing brothers and sisters when we go off on our own and leave God out I guarantee you we are going to have some problems. We’re going to have some set backs. and We are going to have some road blocks. You see what happened was Jehoshaphat teamed up with Ahaz king of Israel to go and fight in a battle against the Syrians.

And the truth is some people might be your close kin, but you still ought not follow their ways!!! And the bible says that

A Prophet named Micaiah told both kings not to go into battle and 2 Chronicles 18 says that Zedekiah punched Micaiah in the face for telling them the truth. And the bible says that Israel got whipped up on pretty bad and long story short King Ahaz got killed and King Jehoshaphat almost died. Some stuff you just ought not be be involved in.

Tell your neighbor: Leave it alone

Because 2 Chronicles 19:1 Jehoshaphat king of Judah came back safely to his palace in Jerusalem. 2 Jehu son of Hanani, a seer, went out to meet him and said to the king, “Why did you help evil people? Why do you love those who hate the LORD? That is the reason the LORD is angry with you. 3 But there is some good in you. You took the Asherah idols out of this country, and you have tried to obey God.”

And let me say this “some people might get by for a while but I’m here to tell you you will never ever get away with it”. The eyes of the Lord are everywhere. And the only reason that God didn’t let the enemies kill King Jehoshaphat was because he actually Loved God and hated idol worship.

And brothers and sisters what we have here is a bad case of following the wrong crowd of people.

And so Long story short let’s fast forward to 2 Chronicles 20 :1 It came to pass after this also, that the children of Moab, and the children of Ammon, and with them other beside the Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat to battle. 2 Then there came some that told Jehoshaphat, saying, There cometh a great multitude against thee from beyond the sea on this side Syria; and, behold, they be in Hazazontamar, which is Engedi.

This is a gigantic problem. Jehoshaphat got the

1.Children of Moab 2. The children of Ammon 3. They are teamed up with Ammonites and Mount Seir

Poor King Jehoshaphat got enemies closing in from all sides. That a tough spot to be in.

And let’s read what the bible says in 2 Chronicles 20:3 & 4 And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. 4 And Judah gathered themselves together, to ask help of the LORD: even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the LORD.

1. Jehoshaphat got scared. And anybody in their right mind would be scared when you got enemies closing in on all side.

2. But The Jehoshaphat positioned himself to be able to get in touch with the Lord. Brothers and sisters, I don’t care how bad it gets JUST let me talk to God about it first.

3. Then king all of Judah began fasting and praying and seeking the Lord for a solution to their problem. To me that’s a symbol of Hope. The whole congregation is hoping for deliverance.

And So King Jehoshaphat began praying and talking to God for The Congregation and for himself. And I want us to listen to the Hope in the Prayer. The bible says in verse 5 And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the LORD, before the new court, 6 And said, O LORD God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven? There hope in the opening statement “and rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen?” In other words Dear God you’re in charge and that’s the Hope in that question. “ Then Jehoshaphat says “and in thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee?” Jehoshaphat declares the Hope in God’s get this now His Omnipotence The Hope is that God is ALL POWERFUL !!! 7 Art not thou our God, who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, THE HOPE IS THAT YOU CLEARED OUT OUR ENEMIES BEFORE YOU GAVE US THE LAND “Then Jehoshaphat said and you frankly gave it to the seed of Abraham. “and gavest it to the seed of Abraham thy friend for ever?” The Hope is that God was on our side then and certainly He’s on our side now. Verse 8 &9 And they dwelt therein, and have built thee a sanctuary therein for thy name, saying,9 If, when evil cometh upon us, as the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we stand before this house, and in thy presence, (for thy name is in this house,) and cry unto thee in our affliction, then thou wilt hear and help. Jehoshaphat speaks to several things in verses 8 &9 .

1 Lord our ancestor lived in the Promised Land that you gave us.

2. Lord they built you a church so that we could praise and worship you and call on your name with Hope when we get in trouble.

3. Lord you said if any evil or anything else come upon us we are supposed to come before this church and Cry out before you that our Hope in You will send Help on the way. Yes indeed. Brothers and sisters when you’re in trouble It’s time to call on the Lord. And Hope will send Help on the way.

Then be specific about your prayer.

Tell your neighbor: Be Specific about your prayer. Listen to me real good You’ve got to tall God exactly who bothering you.

Yeah that’s what Jehoshaphat did. Look at verses 10 &11 And now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moab and mount Seir, whom thou wouldest not let Israel invade, when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them, and destroyed them not; 11 Behold, I say, how they reward us, to come to cast us out of thy possession, which thou hast given us to inherit.

1. Jehoshaphat called a spade a spade. He called them out.If your enemy is coming up against you call them out! 3x.

2. Jehoshaphat said when my ancestors had them in our bullseye we could have taken them out in a flash, and destroyed them but Lord you wouldn’t let us invade them.

3. Jehoshaphat said and now look at how they done ganged up on us… Yeah church your enemies will gang up on you to try to beat you down. Oh but God sits up high and still looks down low.. Hang on in there Hope is sending help on the way.

Look at our theme passage in verse 12 O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee. 13 And all Judah stood before the LORD, with their little ones, their wives, and their children.

Jehoshaphat talked to God like we talk sometimes.He said Lord aren’t you going to judge them? Lord ain’t you gon get em for us? Lord you can’t be gon let them get away with that hah?

Jehoshaphat said Lord we can’t stand against that many soldiers. They done ganged up on us. They have triple the number of soldiers than we have.

!They too big for us Lord! WE say that sometimes too don’t we. This problem is too big for me. I can’t handle this by myself.

Jehoshaphat said we don’t know what to do Lord. Church I sware to yo that there have been times when I have laid out before the Lord and said Lord I just don’t know what to do about this situation. But I’m turning it over to you. I’m turning my children over to you. I’m turning my wife over to you. I’m turning over my husband to you. I’m turning over my special friend to you. I’m turning over my job to you. I’m turning over my health to you. I’m turning over my aging mother and father to you. I’m turning over losing my dear loves to you. I’m turning over cantankerous conniving crazy folk to you LORD. Because I don’t know what to do about these situations.

Then Jehoshaphat says sometime profound in verse 12 after the colon the two double dots “but our eyes are upon thee.” BUT OUR EYES ARE UPON YOU. This is the ultimate Hope in the text. This text always gets to me because I’ve seen this text come alive in my life.

God is Holy Y’all And just for a minute let me walk you through what’s happening in Jehoshaphat the king of Judah prayer.

Jehoshaphat called on Elohim Shama The God who Hears because verse 6 says O God of our Fathers.

Then verse 6 says that Jehoshaphat called on Melekh HaGoyim King of Nations. Lord you’re over all kingdoms in this world. Jehoshaphat said Lord you’re El Shaddai God Almighty The Most High God.

In verse 7 Jehoshaphat said you’re Jehovah Jireh God my Provider. Lord you gave the Land to Abraham and we prospered.

Jehoshaphat called on Jehovah Ezrah GOD my helper Jehoshaphat said Lord you’re Jehovah Gibbor Mighty in Battle If you helped our ancestors you can help us too and our eyes are upon you.

Our eyes are upon Jehovah Ra-ah because that means The Lord is my Shepherd.. Yes Sir 3x Because our Hope is in thee Lord. Our eyes are in hope towards you Lord. Verse 13. Says that Jehoshaphat has everybody there, husbands wives, children, and parishioners are all participating because everybody’s future is on the line.

Tell your neighbor My future is on the line. I’m in it to win.

In other words everybody that’s concerned about this church going forward! is in it to win it. Because ain’t nobody mad but the devil.

And so we see Hope on display here and now it’s out of King Jehoshaphat’s hands. He’s done all that he can do. Now it’s God’s turn.

Then all of a sudden The Spirit of the LORD came in the midst of the congregation and Jahaziel began to prophecy. God will always send somebody to give you direction focus and purpose. Jahaziel said in verse 15 Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's. 16 To morrow go ye down against them: behold, they come up by the cliff of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the end of the brook, before the wilderness of Jeruel. 17 Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the LORD will be with you.

In other word Jehovah Adonai is on the case you just show up to the battlefield, but God will show out and will show off Because the bible says in verse 18 And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the LORD, worshipping the LORD. 19 And the Levites, of the children of the Kohathites, and of the children of the Korhites, stood up to praise the LORD God of Israel with a loud voice on high.

The bible says that they formed a choir verse 21 says Jehoshaphat appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, They said, “Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever”. They kept on saying it over and over again. And verse 22 says that “ when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten. The battle is not your it’s the LORD’S.

So Hope For Deliverance because the bible says that the children of Ammon, Moab and mount seir. turned on one another. the Praise was so loud. The shout was so fierce until it was like thunder. Yes I imagine that if it were 2024 Jehoshaphat nem must have sung I’m on the battlefield for my Lord and I promise Him that I would serve 3x until I die Ain’t God Alright. They must have sung Lord lift me up and let me stand. my faith heaven table land no higher place that I have found plant my feet o higher ground.yes. Because when Jehoshaphat’s army looked down the hills there were dead bodies everywhere and It took them three days to carry away the spoils of war.

God has a way of blessing you just when you need it most. I’ve got close here Y’all But tell your neighbor I’m Hoping I’m praying and I’m praising God for a Mighty Deliverance. Won’t He bring you out. Yes He’ll pick you up turn you around and put your feet on solid ground Ain’t He Alright.