On a Personal Note – Who’s Battle Is It Anyway?

the Spirit of the Lord came upon one of the men standing there. His name was Jahaziel son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, a Levite who was a descendant of Asaph.¹⁵ He said, “Listen, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Listen, King Jehoshaphat! This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. ¹⁶ Tomorrow, march out against them. You will find them coming up through the ascent of Ziz at the end of the valley that opens into the wilderness of Jeruel. ¹⁷ But you will not even need to fight. Take your positions; then stand still and watch the Lord’s victory. He is with you, O people of Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or discouraged. Go out against them tomorrow, for the Lord is with you!”

2 Chronicles 20:14-17 NLT

Growing up in a household of four children provided the perfect environment for scuffles. It became like second nature to jump in and help whoever you perceived to be on the “right” side of the battle. And whether you won or lost, the most important part was that you had jumped in and defended your position. Yet as I continue to walk with God, I am reminded that it’s not always my battle to fight.

In 2 Chronicles 20, we see that sometimes God instructs us to stand still. I don’t know about you, but it’s hard for me to just do nothing. But what I’ve learned is that it’s not “doing nothing,” it’s trusting God with the outcome. Sitting in a posture of trust requires obedience and obedience requires doing something; obeying God. There are seasons in life when in order to see a victory, we have to sit down and watch God move.

As believers, we know that we are not equipped to fight battles alone. There are supernatural battles taking place all around us (Ephesians 6:12). It may seem like second nature to jump in and help. But if God instructs us to be still, then that’s what we should do. It is not always our battle to fight. This is our opportunity to practice obedience and remain in a posture of trust. Never forget to ask yourself, “Who’s Battle Is It Anyway?”