God Delivers 1

By Tosin Lawal

Devotional Reading: When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they thought, “This is the king of Israel.” So they turned to attack him, but Jehoshaphat cried out, and the Lord helped him. God drew them away from him, for when the chariot commanders saw that he was not the king of Israel, they stopped pursuing him. 2 Chronicles 18:31-32NIV

The story of how God miraculously delivered Jehoshaphat from untimely death thrills me about God’s accuracy and carefulness in saving a man who has learnt to call upon him, especially any man called by his name.

Let me give you a picture of what happened. Jehoshaphat, a man who reverenced the Lord, used to be a king of Judah. Because of his alliance with Ahab the king of Israel he nearly caused himself trouble. I guess he was trying to be a kind sister nation to Israel since they both had the same root. Ahab did not really prioritize God in his life and kingdom affairs, and of course God is not pleased with that. King Ahab persuaded Jehoshaphat to partner with him in fighting Syria (Aram).

Jehoshaphat encouraged him to seek God’s will about the matter before embarking on the journey of which he sought those who will tell him sweet things that he has like to hear. Only one of the prophets told him the actual truth that he will not return from the battle if he eventually embarked on it. For reasons best known to Jehoshaphat, he followed the disobedient king to the battlefront.

The Bible recorded that the king of Syria had ordered his chariot commanders “Do not fight with anyone, small or great, except the king of Israel.” However, the commanders of the chariots mistaken Jehoshaphat for Ahab, the king of Israel, and they nearly killed him.

God’s word says that Jehoshaphat cried out, and the Lord helped him. God drew those men away from him so much that they didn’t kill him, for they recognized that he was not the king of Israel. That’s miraculous. The actual truth is, he could have been killed mistakenly. However, God, in His mercies, rescued him. What if they killed him because he partnered with their enemy?

Sometimes, we enter into avoidable troubles because of our not being smart enough. Sometimes, for no just reason, we find ourselves in tight situations in which only a miraculous act by God can bring us deliverance. Sometimes, we find ourselves in a situation where we conclude that there is no more hope.

The word of the Lord for you today is that He God is able, abundantly able, to deliver those who trust in him, those who can call on him for help. God knows how to single you out for deliverance and help in tight situations. You don’t have to understand how God will do it. Yours is to believe, call on him with a sincere heart, and watch him do what only he can do.

Prayer and Confession
Lord, I confess that I am smart because you are helping me. You are able and abundantly able to deliver those who trust in you. I believe in you.

Further readings: 2 Chronicles 18: 1-34, Psalm 34:19, Psalm 50:15, 2 Timothy 4:16-18
Reading The Prophets: Isaiah 26-30