1. Welcome

Beloved brothers and sisters,

May the grace and peace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ be with you all. It is an immense joy to be gathered in God's presence, as a living church, to worship Him, hear His Word, and strengthen our faith.

Today, as we open the Bible, we are not just opening an old book to read a story, but the living Word of God, which speaks to our hearts today, precisely in the situation we are living in.

For the Bible says: “All these things happened to them as examples [for us]” (1 Corinthians 10:11).

God knows your struggles, your fears, your battles—and He wants to speak to us today.

I invite you to open your Bible to 2 Chronicles, chapter 20, verses 1 to 26.

Jehoshaphat's victory over Moab and Ammon

Base Text: 2 Chr 20:1–26

2 Chronicles 20:1–26 NKJV

1 It happened after this that the people of Moab with the people of Ammon, and others with them besides the Ammonites, came to battle against Jehoshaphat. 2 Then some came and told Jehoshaphat, saying, “A great multitude is coming against you from beyond the sea, from Syria; and they are in Hazazon Tamar” (which is En Gedi). 3 And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. 4 So Judah gathered together to ask help from the Lord; and from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord. 5 Then Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, before the new court, 6 and said: “O Lord God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven, and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in Your hand is there not power and might, so that no one is able to withstand You? 7 Are You not our God, who drove out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel, and gave it to the descendants of Abraham Your friend forever? 8 And they dwell in it, and have built You a sanctuary in it for Your name, saying, 9 ‘If disaster comes upon us—sword, judgment, pestilence, or famine—we will stand before this temple and in Your presence (for Your name is in this temple), and cry out to You in our affliction, and You will hear and save.’ 10 And now, here are the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir—whom You would not let Israel invade when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them and did not destroy them— 11 here they are, rewarding us by coming to throw us out of Your possession which You have given us to inherit. 12 O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.” 13 Now all Judah, with their little ones, their wives, and their children, stood before the Lord. 14 Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly. 15 And he said, “Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the Lord to you: ‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. 16 Tomorrow go down against them. They will surely come up by the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the brook before the Wilderness of Jeruel. 17 You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.” 18 And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem bowed before the Lord, worshiping the Lord. 19 Then the Levites of the children of the Kohathites and of the children of the Korahites stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel with voices loud and high. 20 So they rose early in the morning and went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, O Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem: Believe in the Lord your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper.” 21 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the Lord, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying: “Praise the Lord, For His mercy endures forever.” 22 Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated. 23 For the people of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir to utterly kill and destroy them. And when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, they helped to destroy one another. 24 So when Judah came to a place overlooking the wilderness, they looked toward the multitude; and there were their dead bodies, fallen on the earth. No one had escaped. 25 When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away their spoil, they found among them an abundance of valuables on the dead bodies, and precious jewelry, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away; and they were three days gathering the spoil because there was so much. 26 And on the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Berachah, for there they blessed the Lord; therefore the name of that place was called The Valley of Berachah until this day.

AMEN! //

I believe that today the Lord wants to remind us of a simple and powerful truth: there are battles that we are not called to fight, but to trust.

(Title of today's message)

When the Battle Belongs to the Lord

The Context of the Crisis

The text presents us with a moment of threat to King Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah.

Three enemy nations unite to destroy Judah. ​​Humanly speaking, there was no way out.

Verse 2 says that they sent word to King Jehoshaphat saying:

“A great multitude is coming against you…”

Jehoshaphat was a good king, God-fearing. Even so, he faces an unexpected battle. This teaches us something important:

walking with God does not exempt us from struggles.

Perhaps today you are experiencing something similar:

Sunday is ending…

Tomorrow the week begins

The worries return to mind

Perhaps you are thinking:

“How will I face this week?”

“This problem hasn't been solved yet”

“I don't know what to do”

Jehoshaphat didn't know either. He was facing something greater than his strength.

And this connects us deeply with our reality.

An unexpected medical diagnosis

A financial crisis

A family problem

A silent spiritual battle

The question is not whether battles will come, but how we react when they arrive.

Truth #1 Fear can lead us to prayer (v. 3–4)

Verse 3 says:

“Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set himself to seek the Lord…”

Brothers and sisters, this is liberating.

The Bible does not condemn Jehoshaphat for feeling fear — it shows the right path after fear.

He doesn't hide.

He doesn't run away.

He seeks the Lord.

Application for today:

What has been keeping you awake at night?

What do you carry in your heart as this Sunday ends?

Fear can be an invitation from God to draw closer to Him.

Notice that the text does not hide the king's fear.

He doesn't pretend to be strong.

He doesn't rely on military strategy/human weapons...

He runs to God.

Jehoshaphat’s prays is so effective because:

Acknowledges his weakness

Proclaims a fast/spiritual weapon...

Calls all the people to seek the Lord

Here we learn that fear can be a door to faith, an invitation from God to draw closer to Him.

Application:

Where do you run when fear comes?

To social media?

To despair?

Or to the presence of God?

Truth #2 - Eyes on the Lord, not on the problem

Jehoshaphat runs to God

Jehoshaphat's prayer is powerful because he remembers who God is before talking about the problem.

He exalts God's sovereignty

He recalls the Lord's promises (the importance of knowing the Lord's promises)

He confesses his inability

Verse 12:

“For we have no strength... but our eyes are on you.”

What a wonderful declaration for a worship service!

Today is the day to say:

“Lord, I have no control, but I trust in You.”

Friends, It's not long prayers that move heaven, but sincere and dependent prayers.

This is one of the most beautiful phrases in the Bible.

True faith doesn't say:

“I can do it.”

True faith says:

“I can't, but God can.”

When we take our eyes off the problem and put our eyes on God, the perspective changes.

Truth #3 - The Battle is not ours (vs. 15)

Jeremiah 29:13 “13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”…

Jehoshaphat sought God with all his heart… and

Then God answers through the prophet Jahaziel:

“Do not be afraid or discouraged... for the battle is not yours, but God's.”

What a wonderful promise!

Perhaps this is the word you needed to hear before going home today.

God didn't say:

“You will never have problems again,”

But He said:

You will not fight alone! Never!

You just need to stand firm.

You will see the Lord's deliverance.

How many here need to hear today:

“This battle is not yours”?

Truth #4 – Praise Before the Victory

Jehoshaphat does something completely illogical:

He puts singers in front of the army.

Humanly speaking, this doesn't make sense.

Spiritually speaking, it makes perfect sense.

They sang:

“Give thanks to the Lord, for his mercy endures forever.”

Brothers and sisters, praise changes the atmosphere before the circumstances change.

Maybe today you don't have answers, but you can still worship.

“While you worship, miracles happen.”

And when the church worships, God acts.

While the enemy came armed, the people marched worshiping.

And the text says that when they began to sing, the Lord confused the enemies.

Brothers and sisters, this teaches us that:

Praise is not a reaction after victory

Praise is a weapon that precedes victory!

I'll repeat: Maybe today you don't have answers, but you can still worship!

There are battles that we don't win with strength, but with worship and trust.

Maybe today God is saying:

“Stop fighting your way and start trusting My way.”

The Outcome (v. 22–26)

The valley of battle became:

“Valley of Beracah” — Valley of Blessing/Praise.

God transforms:

The end of a dark night into a new beginning

Anxiety into peace

Weariness into rest

Maybe you entered this service in a valley of worry.

But you can leave in a valley of blessing.

You can leave here today:

Complete victory

Abundance of Blessings

Jehoshaphat and all the people spent three days collecting the spoils.

The valley that was a battlefield became:

“Valley of Beracah” — Valley of Blessing

God still transforms:

Valley of pain into a valley of blessing

Fear into testimony

Tears into praise

Invitation – A Moment of Surrender

I want to invite you to have a different kind of ending to this Sunday.

What battle are you facing?

Are you trying to fight alone?

Are your eyes on God?

Perhaps you want to say:

“Lord, this battle is Yours”

This is your moment. Valley of Decision

I want to invite you to reflect:

Are you facing a battle without God?

Have you been trying to fight alone?

Are your eyes on the problem or on the Lord?

Perhaps today is the day to:

Surrender this fight to God

Stop trying to control everything

Trust in Jesus as Lord and Savior

Renew your faith

If you feel in your heart the desire to say:

“Lord, this battle is yours,”

This is the moment… Surrender. Trust. Rest.

Concluding Prayer - Specific Appeals

Appeal 1 – Salvation

My brothers and sisters, we heard today that there are battles we cannot win alone. The greatest of all is the battle against sin, guilt, and separation from God.

The good news is that Jesus has already won this battle on the cross.

The Word says that:

All have sinned

The wages of sin is death

But the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus

Perhaps you are here:

Visiting the church

Away from the faith

Tired of fighting alone

Today the Lord calls you to trust in Him for the first time.

Clear invitation:

If you wish to surrender your life to Jesus, acknowledging Him as your Lord and Savior, wherever you are, place your hand over your heart. Don't be ashamed. This is a moment between you and God. Prayer of Salvation (led):

“Lord Jesus, I acknowledge that I need You.

I am a sinner and cannot save myself.

I believe that You died on the cross for me and rose again.

Today I surrender my life into Your hands.

Forgive my sins and write my name in the Book of Life.

From today on, Jesus, You are the Lord of my life.

Amen.”

Pastoral closing:

If you prayed this prayer sincerely, know that heaven rejoices and we as a church want to walk with you.

Appeal 2 – Reconciliation (Backslidden or Wounded Believers)

Church, this text also speaks to those who have walked with God, but today are fighting battles far from the Lord's presence.

Perhaps you:

Are in church, but distant in your heart

Have lost the joy of faith

Have stopped praying, reading the Word, trusting

Jehoshaphat teaches us to turn our eyes back to the Lord.

Pastoral invitation:

If you feel in your heart the desire to reconcile with God, renew your covenant and say:

“Lord, I want to trust in You again,”

stand where you are or come forward, as a gesture of surrender.

Prayer of reconciliation:

“Beloved Father,

I acknowledge that I have strayed, that I have tried to fight alone.

Today I turn my eyes to You.

Restore my faith, renew my heart and lead me back to Your path.

I declare that the battle is Yours and that I trust in Your care.

In Jesus' name, amen.”

Prayer of Rest - Let us pray:

Lord our God and Father,

We acknowledge that often we are weak, limited, and full of fear.

But today we declare that our eyes are fixed on You.

We surrender our battles, our pains, and our challenges into Your hands.

Teach us to trust, to worship before the victory, and to rest in Your promises. May every valley of struggle be transformed into a valley of blessing.

A valley of pain into a valley of joy.

Fear into a testimony of your faithfulness.

Tears into praise!

Receive the glory, the honor, and the praise, today and forever.

In the name of Jesus, amen.