2 Chronicles 20:3, 12 – “And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. 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.”

As I read, prayed, and meditated on the Word today, I was intrigued by God’s attention to detail. In 2 Chronicles 20:3, we read, “And Jehoshaphat feared…”   That was not unexpected because a combined force assembled against him was much more powerful than his army. Then it says, “And he raised up his face to pray…” That caught my attention.

He raised up his face (looked heavenward) and prayed.   That was the way Jesus prayed, looking up to heaven.   We bow our heads, but here he looks to heaven. That is a sign of trust.

In verse 12, his prayer is noteworthy.   He petitioned God to reveal Himself.   He made no pretense – “We have no strength (we can’t handle this problem).”    He admitted this was beyond his ability to solve – “We do not know what to do.”    We often try to figure it out and implement plans to solve the problem.   Jehoshaphat said, “We do not know what to do, BUT…”   That is the doorway to the answer. The ‘but‘ either hinders or helps. Here, it is expressive of faith. “BUT our eyes are upon You!”   The chorus, “Where Could I Go But to the Lord?”    Fills my heart.

After Jehoshaphat, the successive kings of Israel are listed, and their good and bad qualities are detailed.   In 2 Chronicles 25:2, we read about Amaziah, the 25-year-old king.   “And he did that, which was right in the sight of the LORD, BUT not with a perfect heart.” The ‘but’ is a doorway, but not one of faith, but of defeat. He did right, but he wasn’t right. Religious but not pure.   Doing but not being.   We face that danger, too.

In 2 Chronicles 26, we find Uzziah, who fell prey to the problem faced by all.    In verse 16, “But when he became very rich, his pride was lifted up exceedingly, so he transgressed against the LORD…”

Riches could be fame, position, or success. If we look at where we have arrived and begin to become self-important, we open the door to pride, which ultimately leads to destruction.

God wants us not just to do right but to be right.   He is not looking for our acts but our hearts.   He wants us to have pure hearts that keep us humble in our own eyes so we can be used by Him.   Pride shifts the dependence from God to self.    Jehoshaphat depended on God.   Ahaziah did it right, but it was not right.   Uzziah let pride ruin him.

God has an assignment for everyone, but only as we trust Him, purify our hearts, and resist pride can that assignment be completed.

May your day be filled with the wonders of God’s miracles and directives!