CONCERT OF PRAYER

Pray Week 849

“Relying on God – Closeness”

2 Chronicles 13:1-18 (ESV)  …Now there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam.  Abijah went out to battle, having an army of valiant men of war, 400,000 chosen men.  And Jeroboam drew up his line of battle against him with 800,000 chosen mighty warriors.  Then Abijah stood up …and said, “Hear me, O Jeroboam and all Israel! …you think to withstand the kingdom of the Lord …because you are a great multitude and have with you the golden calves that Jeroboam made you for gods. …But as for us, the Lord is our God, and we have not forsaken him. …For we keep the charge of the Lord our God, but you have forsaken him.  Behold, God is with us at our head …do not fight against the Lord, the God of your fathers, for you cannot succeed.”…And when Judah looked, behold, the battle was in front of and behind them.  And they cried to the Lord …And when the men of Judah shouted, God defeated Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah.  The men of Israel fled before Judah, and God gave them into their hand.  …Thus …the men of Judah prevailed, because they relied on the Lord, the God of their fathers.

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Abijah and the fighting men of Judah were outnumbered two to one but they stood firm, confident in the Lord.  Abijah stood on the mountain and acknowledged that he was faced with a vast army.  The sheer overwhelming numbers failed to discourage him for he was encouraged by the fact that the Lord was their God and that they had not forsaken Him.  In faith Abijah gave God the glory for the battle victory even before it had begun.

What was the basis for such confidence?  They had not forsaken God and remained obedient to Him.  God was their Lord and their leader.  Abijah and all of Judah knew the closeness of God which gave them faith in relying on Him in spite of the odds against them.

Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident. – Psalm 27:3

We too, can have this same confidence that Jesus will deliver us through all the trials that face us.  However, we cannot rely or lean on Him when we have wandered far from Him.  Do you feel outnumbered by the problems and challenges that you are facing?  Do you gain ground in one area only to encounter multiple new challenges?  Do you feel off balance, struggling to gain a firm stance?  Do you feel confidently close to God or fearfully distanced from Him?

You have said, “Seek my face.” My heart says to you, “Your face, Lord, do I seek.” – Psalm 27:8

The Lord is not a magic genie in a bottle that we can summon when we need and store away in the good times.  We cannot have it both ways.  We cannot have the ‘golden calf idols’ of this world and a close walk with Jesus at the same time.  God’s Word calls out to us even today, ‘Choose you this day whom you will serve’.  If we are to rely on Him we are to choose obedience to Him and let Jesus be the Lord of our life, our leader.  Deliberately destroy the idols in your life – all the stuff of this world that you know distances you from closeness with Jesus.  Seek His face continually and rely on Him in confidence and in His power, strength, and peace.

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. – James 4:8