As we read in vs. 26 they renamed the "Valley of Tekoa" the "Valley of Beracah which means Praise or Blessing." How many of you would like to know how to turn your valleys of struggle into valleys of Praises and Blessings? Well, where do we get the Valley of Jehoshaphat? in Joel 3:2,12& 14 Joel mentions this story in 2 Chronicles and calls the Valley the "Valley of Jehoshaphat." This Valley it appears is where the last battle of Armageddon is going to take place Rev.16:16. So what happened here in this story must have been important to God, for God to say that the last battle of human history will take place in the "Valley of Jehoshaphat."
Valley’s are part of our lives. It’s not realistic to think that we will go through our lives without any struggles or adversities. God is going to lead us into the Valley because there are some foundations that don’t get laid in our lives until we go through a Valley and God comes through for us.
You can’t have a triumph without a trial, You can’t have a Testimony without a test and you can’t have a great Victory until you’ve gone through a great Battle! It’s like the Andre Crouch song "Through it All" one line in the song says "If I never had a problem I wouldn’t know that God could solve them and I’d never know what faith in God could do. But through it all, I’ve learned to trust in Jesus and I’ve learned to trust in God, Through it all I’ve learned to depend upon His Word."
Vs.1-3 of 2 Chron. 20 shows us the predicament that Jehoshaphat was facing. 3 Nations came against Jehoshaphat and the Nation of Judah for battle. Can you imagine? That’s the way Valleys are though. Sometimes you’re just minding your own business living your life and all of the sudden "Wham!" These things come against you and you find yourself entering the Valley.
This is one of the foundations of the Christian life: There will be Spiritual Battles. With the New Birth comes New Battles
Vs.3-5 show us What Jehoshaphat did and it gives us a clue what we should do when a great multitude of trials come against us. Jehoshaphat was afraid,
This is another foundation of the Christian life: We must learn how to handle fear
So, what did Jehoshaphat do when he was afraid? He set his face to seek the Lord. This is how we handle fear, we take it to God. We set our faces to seek HIS face. He didn’t rush out to battle in his own strength, he knew this situation was impossible to face in his own strength. Zech.4:6 says it’s not by might, nor by power but by my Spirit says the Lord of Hosts. If we want God to move supernaturally in our lives then we have to be willing to seek Him and wait on His direction and move forward in obedience to His way of doing things.
I want to give you 3 keys to overcome in the Valley.
Here’s number 1. Take Action
The Valley isn’t a place to roll over and play dead. IT’s not a place to stick your head in the sand and act like the problem isn’t there. NO! The Valley is a place of Action. Psalms 23 DAvid said Yea, though I walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death. Notice he didn’t pitch a tent there. He kept moving through the Valley. And we need to keep moving when we get in the Valley.
Number 2. Take the Right Kind of Action
Jehoshaphat didn’t go about this battle the way military leaders in the natural would go aobut it. He knew the battle he was facing wasn’t a natural battle primarily. First it was a spiritual battle. These nations weren’t just coming against him, they were coming against God.
2 Sam. 17:45 David knew this, that’s how he could face Goliath. Jehoshaphat called a fast, prayed, and waited for God’s direction. Proverbs 3:5
Number 3. Lead the way to Battle with Thanksgiving and Praise.
Proverbs 3:5 says lean not on your own understanding. Now, it doesn’t make sense to do what Jehoshaphat did, but this is what God led them to do. Look at vs.20-23 They put the Choir at the front of the army and led the way into battle with thanksgiving praise and worship. Wow! This is the way we need to confront the enemies of our lives. Praise God all the way into the battle. And God supernaturally intervened and caused the enemy to turn on each other and destroy each other.
If we want what man can produce, then do it mans way.
If you want what God can do, then we have to do it God’s way!
These are foundations that God wants to develop in your life so that you’ll know how to turn your valleys into places of Blessing and Praise and GReat Victory. IF God be for us who can be against us. Greater is He that is in us than He that is after us. Halelujah!
Let’s stand and pray...
