Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the Lord says to you: “Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God's (2 Chr 20:15).”

These were the words of the Lord given to Jehoshaphat king of Judah against whom the vast army of the Moabites and the Ammonites had come to make war. In his desperation of not knowing what to do, Jehoshaphat had turned to the Lord, and prayed before the above words were spoken through Jahaziel a Levite. The Lord further said:

You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you (v. 17).

Here is the key for us as we face various problems in this world. Victory is already ours as the Bible says, but it is still necessary that we stand firm in this truth—the spiritual reality—in order to make it real in this world through our faith. The truth we need to stand upon is expressed above as “For the battle is not yours, but God’s,” or “You will not have to fight this battle.” Having stood upon these words, Jehoshaphat was able to face this vast army, and the result was not only a great victory over the vast army, but also a vast amount of plunder that it took three days for his army to take.

It is worth noting that he was desperate at the beginning not knowing what to do, but he quickly came to have faith in God, and at the end, the victory was realized. Try to see how his desperation turned into his faith so that he let his men to sing, “Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever.” Look at carefully how he prayed, and you will observe how the change from desperation to faith occurred (vv. 6-12).

When you think, in your mind, that the problem you face is “your” own problem, you will fail. If the problem is yours, you will need to fight, and when you think you are the one who fights, you are not submitting your way to the Lord: you are merely tiring yourself with all kinds of carnal calculations and efforts. You, being in that condition, are actually fighting against God with unbelief and doubts. God works only through your obedience—your submission to him, his words and promises.

Then, you might ask, “How can I think of my problem as not my problem, but God’s?” The answer to this question lies in Jehoshaphat’s prayer. And the same truth, you will learn from the story of David and Goliath. David said, in his conversation with king Saul:

Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God (1 Sam 17:36).

Note the way he called Goliath—“the uncircumcised Philistine.” Read further the words he spoke to Goliath:

David said to the Philistine, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will hand you over to me, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head. … and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give all of you into our hands (vv. 45-47)."