Eyes on You!
2 Chronicles 20
Feb 15, 2026
Most text messages we receive are about the day to day minutia in our lives. Generally, we’re checking in with one another. Which is good! And sometimes we receive text messages which lead us to be a bit more introspective.
Does that happen with you? A text that causes you to stop in your tracks. Not a bad or nasty text, just one that says something which is profound.
This week I received a couple of text messages that really got me thinking, one in particular which I’ll share with you in a bit. Then I received an email from a blog, and I’m using parts of one text and the blog to lead us to talk about something important.
What do we do when we’re being challenged and what happens to the unity within the community!
One of the text messages stated - - - -
God can do more with my surrender than I can ever do with my control.
OOH! Isn’t that so true? We want and seek control. That means we fight against God, especially when God tells us to do something which is out of our control.
And often times, for a little while — — we feel good about what we’re doing because we’re in control, but that eventually comes crashing down around us.
And that leads us into an Old Testament story. It’s one in which it would have been easy to say, “OK, God, I’ve got to get this done, so I hope you’ll back me.” That’s a place we often come from.
We proclaim, “God, please walk along the path I set before me. When the going gets tough, I will call on you to take the lead, but only after I’ve exhausted all possible outcomes.” Does that sound a bit familiar? It certainly does to me!
Part of this OT story is reliance on God, and part of the story is about a group of people who are being real and honest with God and one another. It’s a sign of their unity within the community.
The story is found in 2 Chronicles 20. If you have a Bible, you can turn to this section of scripture. The southern kingdom is about to be attacked.
This is a long passage. I want to read the story, because it gives us the entire context of what’s happening. We’ll start in verse 1 - - - -
1 After this the Moabites and Ammonites, and with them some of the Meunites, came against King Jehoshaphat for battle.
2 Some men came and told Jehoshaphat, “A great multitude is coming against you from Edom, from beyond the sea; and, behold, they are in Engedi.
3 Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.
4 And Judah assembled to seek help from the Lord; from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord.
5 And Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, before the new court,
6 and said, “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.
7 Did you not, our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel, and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend?
8 And they have lived in it and have built for you in it a sanctuary for your name, saying,
9 ‘If disaster comes upon us, the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house and before you —
for your name is in this house — and cry out to you in our affliction, and you will hear and save.’
10 And now behold, the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir, whom you would not let Israel invade
when they came from the land of Egypt, and whom they avoided and did not destroy –
11 behold, they reward us by coming to drive us out of your possession, which you have given us to inherit.
12 O our God, will you not execute judgment on them? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us.
We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.
We’ll finish the story in a bit. This is a such a rich story about faith, trust and community. It’s a story about people who have such a strong and powerful belief in God. They know who to call upon.
Instead of going after these enemies, instead of planning their assault and having crazy strategic meetings with the generals and warriors, they turn to God. They’re not looking to solve this on their own. It’s total reliance on God.
I love that Jehoshaphat didn’t rely on himself. Verse 3 tells us he was afraid. I love the honesty! He told the people to assemble and proclaimed a fast. They needed to call on the Lord. He led the people in a bold prayer to God.
And the people responded, they came together from all over the kingdom to fast and pray. In verse 9, he told God, they will stand before God and His holy name.
They trusted God will not only hear them, but will save them as well. They were confident God would lead them to victory. They weren’t going to back down, even if it meant death. Their hope was to glorify God, even in defeat and death.
Now Jehoshaphat gets really bold and is questioning. In verse 10, he tells God, you told us not to destroy these people when we entered the land. We were obedient to you, but now this is our reward?
They’re about to attack us. It’s like saying “God we’ve been following your plan, and this is not going very well. Can you give me a little clarity on next steps?!”
Have you ever been there? You’ve followed God’s call and it’s not quite going the way you expected!!
Then Jehosaphat makes this bold declaration in verse 12 - - - -
We do not know what to do, BUT OUR EYES ARE ON YOU.
Aaah, how great is that? Is that true for us?! Lord, we don’t know what to do! We’re at a loss on our own power. Lord, all we can do is one thing . . . put our total focus on you. That goes back to that first text message - - - -
God can do more with my surrender than I can ever do with my control.
AMEN? And the people came together. There was unity in purpose. They weren’t fighting and bickering about who had a better idea or plan. They followed what they were being led to do.
They started with prayer and sought God’s wisdom and plan. They were one unified body. Even in the midst of fear and attack . . . they were one. That’s not always the way it goes. Unity within community!!
The armies are approaching from the wilderness, from the desert, near the Dead Sea.
This is a map and this is their basic approach to Jerusalem. They’re coming from the Pass of Ziz.
They’re coming from the wilderness, a dangerous territory with hidden cliffs and passes. It’s this type of area where we find ourselves in life. We end up in the wilderness, in the desert seasons as well. This is where our faith is tested.
Throughout the Bible, the wilderness is where true faith is exposed.
Israel wandered there for 40 years.
The prophets fled there.
Jesus was tempted there.
The wilderness is where our resources thin, clarity fades, and dependence becomes a must. The enemy comes from places that seem empty and barren.
The king was informed there was a coming invasion. A scout warned him. But that’s not how it usually works for us, is it?
We don’t get advance warning? They arrive announced. They aren’t scheduled. They’re already advancing before we realize there’s a threat. What we do next often determines the outcome.
Jehoshaphat feared! The honesty of that matters. Fear was acknowledged, not hidden. The beauty is that his fear didn’t drive him to panic. It didn’t drive the people to panic! It drove them to seek the Lord.
And what made this so tough is that the enemy was family. Ooh, ever happen to us? The enemy is actually closer than we realize. The Moabites, the Ammonites, the Meunites are not strangers. They’re relatives.
Moab and Ammon descend from Lot. Edom, associated with the Meunites or Mount Seir, are descendants of Esau. They came from Edom. Esau’s land. These nations share bloodlines, history, and unresolved tension. They represent opposition that is close, inherited, and complicated.
These are the kinds of enemies that hurt most. Not foreign threats, but familiar ones. Lingering resentments. Old compromises. Relational fractures that never healed. History that refuses to stay buried.
Does that not happen? We can sometimes dismiss the outsiders, but those wars which come from within, the broken relationships, the anger, the comments, they linger and linger and hurt and destroy.
These were the people Israel was commanded not to destroy during the Exodus. They obeyed God. And now their obedience has made them vulnerable.
Lord, we did what You said. And now we’re exposed. You see, this isn’t just a military crisis. It’s a theological one. Faithfulness without protection. Obedience without a visible reward.
Lord, we did what you asked and now we’re facing extinction. Lord I followed your plan and now look at where’s it’s gotten me. My family’s following you and now we’re being challenged and even persecuted. What’s happening Lord?
We’ve been there too. We’ve lived the best life we can for the Lord and we think we should be protected too. But that’s not happening the way we want. Again, we’re fighting for that control instead of praising God for His plan, even when we don’t understand it.
And the people are torn, their leader is struggling and conflicted. What do you want from us, Lord? Is this the end of your people? But what we don’t know is that there is a plan. Well we do, but we’re still fighting the Lord for control.
This is way too complicated for the home team. This war can’t be won by typical diplomacy, military might and strategy. Only surrender will save them. Not surrender to the enemy, but surrender to God.
We can do more when we surrender to God, than when we grab control.
Jehoshaphat gathers the nation. Men, women, children. He stands in the temple court and prays.
He doesn’t rush. He doesn’t perform. He anchors himself in who God is. Sovereign. Faithful. Covenant keeping. Ruler over heaven and every kingdom on earth.
The prayer is raw and honest and he says it all in verse 12 - - - -
12 We have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.
This isn’t resignation. It’s alignment.
Jehoshaphat does not deny the size of the threat. He stops trying to solve it.
Charles Spurgeon wrote of this passage - - - -
“They said, ‘Our eyes are upon thee.’ What did they mean by that? They meant, ‘Lord, if help does come, it must come from thee. We are looking to thee for it. It cannot come from anywhere else, so we look to thee.’”
No bravado. No Braveheart moments! No Maverick! No John Wayne. No false certainty. Eyes fixed where help must come from.
Let me continue with the story in 2 Chronicles 20:13 and on - - - -
13 Meanwhile all Judah stood before the Lord, with their little ones, their wives, and their children.
14 And the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly.
15 And he said, “Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat:
Thus says the Lord to you, ‘Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, FOR THE BATTLE IS NOT YOURS BUT GOD'S.
16 Tomorrow go down against them. Behold, they will come up by the ascent of Ziz. You will find them at the end of the valley, east of the wilderness of Jeruel.
17 You will not need to fight in this battle. STAND FIRM, hold your position, and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.’
Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the Lord will be with you.”
18 Then Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground,
and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the Lord, worshiping the Lord.
19 And the Levites, stood up to praise the Lord, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice.
21 And when he had taken counsel with the people, he appointed those who were to sing to the Lord
and praise Him in holy attire, AS THEY WENT BEFORE THE ARMY, and say,
“Give thanks to the Lord, for His steadfast love endures forever.”
The Spirit of God comes upon Jahaziel, and the word is unmistakable. God tells him to tell the king and the people — — “Do not be afraid, don’t be dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.”
Notice what God does not do. He does not explain why the enemy formed. He does not justify the timing. He does not outline the mechanics.
He reassigns ownership. Judah, this battle is not yours. This battle belongs to Me.
Now comes the trust in God’s call and word. If God said just go out to face your enemy and don’t carry your sword or don’t formulate your response before you meet them . . . would not that be difficult? Why?
Because God is in control. It’s His war, but we want to take it over. We want the control. And when that happens, the unity of the community becomes disunity.
It leads to hatred and harboring ill feelings and infighting and bickering and slander and malice and nobody gets along with one another. Why??
Because we fought more for our control than giving the control to God who told us . . . the battle belongs to me! It’s my war, let me handle it.
Judah is told to go out. To position themselves. To stand firm and they will see the salvation of the Lord. They will participate - - - - by watching God at work. They have no control, only trust.
God sends them to the battlefield, but He removes their responsibility to win it.
Jehoshaphat believes the word. The people bow. The Levites loudly praise.
And then something unthinkable happens. Look at what we read in verse 21 - - - -
21 . . . he appointed those who were to sing to the Lord and praise Him in holy attire, AS THEY WENT BEFORE THE ARMY . . .
In other words the singers go first. Not that the choir missed a note and we’re going to do away with them. No, this was the confidence and trust and the time to praise the Lord, even in the midst of the battle.
They go ahead of the strong soldiers. Ahead of the weapons. They sing - - - -
“Give thanks to the Lord, for His steadfast love endures forever.”
They are praising God for His grace and mercy even before the outcome.
Spurgeon noted the audacity of this moment, he wrote — — “They worshipped, but why did they do it? They were not delivered. No, but they were sure they were going to be delivered.”
This is faith made visible.
The enemy turns on each other. Not one escapes. Judah never fights. Symbolically, this matters as much as the victory itself.
God does not overpower the enemy. He exposes the fragility of alliances built on resentment, bitterness, and convenience. Evil consuming evil. Someone once said A HOUSE DIVIDED CANNOT STAND!
How great is that. Many of us face battles like Judah’s. They aren’t isolated issues, but converging ones. Family history. Relational strain. Cultural pressure. Spiritual fatigue. Internal fear.
Sometimes we can’t even figure out the cause. Sometimes we’re totally clueless as to the why!! We can’t fix it, we can’t resolve it. Not on our own!
It doesn’t mean we’re failing, it could be we’re exactly where Jehoshaphat stood.
“We have no power.”
“We don’t know what to do.”
“BUT our eyes are upon You, Lord.”
Those words are not defeat. They are part of our testimony of faith. And when faith is aligned on the promises and faith in God, God reminds us, “I’ve got it, this battle is mine.”
There has to be a moment when we stop asking for clarity and starts to trust.
They still rose early. They still walked toward the wilderness. They still stood where the enemy was coming. But they no longer carried the burden of controlling the outcome.
This is where we mess it up. We’re willing to pray. We’re willing to admit weakness. But we can be slow to release ownership. We want God’s help without surrendering control.
What was that text?
God can do more with my surrender than I can ever do with my control
Looking to God for the answers is not a passive event. It’s total trust! It’s saying 100% yes to God. It’s the refusal to let fear determine the methodology and outcome. It’s choosing to believe that God is at work even when no evidence is visible yet.
If our eyes are on the Lord, it means we expect Him to act. And that expectation is not misplaced.
The victory was complete before Judah understood how it happened. They walked into a valley of death and renamed it the Valley of Blessing. That is what God does when His people stop trying to win battles He never asked them to fight.
Some enemies are not overcome by effort.
Some battles are not solved by insight.
Some pressures are too layered, too inherited, too entrenched for human strength.
They require surrender.
So if you’re standing where Jehoshaphat stood, powerless, uncertain, surrounded by the enemy, hear this clearly — — —
You are not behind. You are not failing. You are not abandoned.
You are being invited to look. You are invited to a greater faith, to a growing faith, to a renewed confidence and trust in Almighty God.
And when God fights for His people, the outcome is never in doubt. The battle is not ours. It never was. The battle belongs to the Lord!!
