It happened a long time ago. A long, long time ago. Something like 2,860 years ago. But it’s not all that different today.
He had tried to serve God. Yes, he had made some foolish mistakes, but he had tried to serve God. And God had rewarded his efforts. He’d lived long enough to see that – almost 60 years.
A cry for help
But now, things had suddenly taken a turn for the worse and he was scared. This was the greatest test of all.
The challenge he faced was overwhelming. And he didn’t know what to do. He was afraid. So he gathered his people together, proclaimed a fast and prayed. We have a record of what Jehoshaphat actually said when he prayed …
“O Lord God of our ancestors,” he prayed, “you are the God who lives in heaven and rules over all the kingdoms of the nations. You possess strength and power; no one can stand against you… Our God… we are powerless against this huge army that attacks us! We don’t know what we should do; we look to you for help!” (2 Chronicles 20, NET Bible).
Another cry for help
Psalm 20 was written before Jehoshaphat’s prayer. Nearly 200 years earlier. The situation, however, is similar. David is leader over God’s people, their King. The nation is in trouble – facing a much stronger enemy. Before the battle the people were gathered. Their King stands before them, he offers a sacrifice and prays silently. Psalm 90 records, not of the prayer of their King, but the people’s prayer for the King standing in front of them.
“May God answer our King’s prayer,” they prayed. “May he send help.” May his plans succeed” (vs. 1, 2, 5).
Someone, perhaps a Levite in the ceremony, speaks up in verse 6. He announces a word of assurance:
Yes, God will help his anointed King (i.e. his Messiah). He will act, because our trust is in him, not in our mighty army… Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand upright (vs. 7-8)
Our cry for help
We live in a very different world. Two things, however, remains the same:
1) We also face overwhelming problems – problems much bigger than our strength, skills and resources can handle.
2) We also follow an anointed King – one much greater than David.
This prayer is for us. God is calling us to turn to him in our need, to put our trust in him. “He will answer us when we call to him for help” (vs. 8).
