When You Don't Know What to Do — 2 Chronicles 20:1-30
The Crisis
"After this the Moabites and Ammonites, and with them some of the Meunites, came against Jehoshaphat for battle" (2 Chronicles 20:1, ESV). Three armies. Advancing together. Judah was outnumbered.
There was no time to raise an army. No alliance to call on. No strategy that would work.
Jehoshaphat's response sets the entire trajectory of the story: "Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah" (20:3).
He was afraid. He was honest about it. And he prayed.
The Prayer
Jehoshaphat's prayer in verses 6-12 is a masterclass in how to approach God in crisis:
He acknowledges who God is (vv. 6-7): "O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you." Before he names the problem, he names the God who is bigger than the problem.
He rehearses God's history (vv. 7-9): He reminds God of His covenant promises. This is not informing God of things He has forgotten — it is the posture of faith that anchors prayer in what God has already done.
He admits his inability (v. 12): "We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you." This is one of the most disarming confessions in the Bible. The king of Judah admits, publicly, that he has no plan. His posture is total dependence.
This prayer is still valid. This is still how crisis is meant to be handled. Before strategy, before resources, before networking — set your face to seek the Lord.
The Word
God answers through Jahaziel: "Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God's" (20:15).
And then: "You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf" (20:17).
This is not passivity. Standing firm and holding your position in faith requires tremendous courage. The point is that the breakthrough will be God's act, not Judah's military achievement.
The Worship
Jehoshaphat's response to the word is extraordinary: he worshipped. The people "stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel with a very loud voice" (20:19). Before the battle, before a single sword was drawn, they praised.
And the next day, Jehoshaphat appointed singers to go before the army, "singing to the Lord and praising him in holy attire" (20:21). The worship team led the way into battle.
"As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set an ambush against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir" (20:22).
When the people of God praise Him in the midst of impossible situations, God goes to work in ways that are beyond human explanation.
The Victory
By the time Judah arrived to survey the battlefield, there was no one left to fight. "They found among them, in great numbers, goods, clothing, and precious things" (20:25). It took three days to carry the plunder.
The crisis became a source of wealth. The threat became a testimony. The valley of fear became the Valley of Berachah — the Valley of Blessing (20:26).
Main Point: When you don't know what to do, the most powerful thing you can do is set your eyes on God, worship before the victory, and trust Him to fight what is too large for you.
Part of the Prayers That Moved Mountains series.