King Jehoshaphat was afraid. A “great multitude” of Moabites and Ammonites had come against him for battle. And so he sought the Lord. He proclaimed a fast in Judah, and the people came together to seek the Lord’s help.

 

Jehoshaphat stands among the people of Judah, in Jerusalem, in the courtyard of the temple, and he prays. He calls upon the God of heaven; the Lord who rules over all. He recalls God’s past deliverance and future promises. He reaffirms both his own and his people’s commitment to and dependence upon the Lord.

 

Then King Jehoshaphat concludes his prayer with a remarkable confession:

 

“…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” (2 Chronicles 20:12; ESV).

 

For a king to admit his own powerlessness before his people goes against our leadership intuition, and might even seem unwise. After all, a king is supposed to know what to do in a crisis, and have the power to get it done!

 

Leaders do have responsibility to make plans, take action, and use the authority they have in times of crisis. But there are some situations before which a leader is so caught off guard, so ill-equipped, so overwhelmed, that humility and earnest prayer before God and others must be the first response.

 

In Jehoshaphat’s situation, a king of lesser character might have tried to put on a brave face, fake his way through, and come up with a plan—any plan—rather than admitting powerlessness before an advancing enemy.

 

But Jehoshaphat does what a spiritual leader must do in a situation like this. He calls the people to seek the Lord. He directs their attention, not to himself, but to the Lord, who is their true King, Deliverer, and Rescuer before the advancing enemy. In a time of extreme trouble, Jehoshaphat turns the eyes of the people to the only one who has all the power and knows exactly what to do.

 

Before the advancing COVID-19 pandemic, many of us, including leaders of business organizations, schools, churches, communities, and countries, feel powerless and unsure of what to do. This is an uncomfortable place to be, but it is not a hopeless place to be. Why? Because in times like these, more than any other, we have opportunity to humble ourselves and ask the Lord for help. We have opportunity to remember God’s promises to us in Christ, and recommit ourselves to him in faith. We have opportunity to seek the Lord and set our eyes on him alone as our ultimate hope and help.

 

In response to Jehoshaphat’s prayer, the Lord provided a stunning victory. The people of Judah did not even have to fight themselves, but only observed the Lord’s powerful defeat of their enemies. It was a victory that God gave to his people entirely by grace, in response to their faith and dependence on him.

 

Believers in Jesus Christ can know that our greatest enemies—sin, Satan, and death—have been defeated through the cross of Christ. By his life, death, and resurrection, Christ has won the final victory, and salvation is entirely a gift of grace, given to those who humble themselves, admit they are powerless to save themselves, and set their eyes on him by faith.