Journal - In The Midst of Battles - wk14

Hey, y’all. It’s Daisy. The verse that we are meditating on today is 2 Chronicles 20, verse 20. And, as always, I will read this verse a couple of times and then send you off. You’ll meditate on it on your own and then come back, and we will carry on with the devotional.

2 Chronicles 2:20 (NKJV)
20 So they rose early in the morning and went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, O Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem: Believe in the Lord your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper.”

So go ahead, and in the MEDITATE section of your journal, write what this verse is saying. Let the verse sink in, meditate on it on your own, and then come back, and we will continue on.

You know, when we are in the midst of battles in our life, I think it’s so important to remember that our part of the battle is not to gear up and put on a bunch of armor and go fight. That’s not what we are called to do. We are called to be still, right? And I think part of being still is being in praise. We are soldiers of praise. Our job is to boast in the Lord and to praise him for the things that we know he is going to do. And we don’t just give praise after the victory. That’s not how God operates. We have to praise him before because we have promises to stand on and proof of God’s ability to keep his promises.

And so, we’re expected to be bold and to declare victory in the name of God before the battle has even started because we know what the enemy is up against. We know how powerful God is. And do, praising God before he’s even had the chance to deliver us and even before we have the victory and the triumph, the Good News, that’s the surest proof of our faith that there is.

And so, as we move into the application part of this devotional, I just want you to ask yourself, what makes it difficult for you to praise God before he gives you a victory and even beyond that? Why is God worthy of praise no matter what the outcome of our circumstances are? So, go and think about that, and write how this applies to your life in the APPLY section, and then come back, and we will move on to the response section.

Okay, now for the RESPOND section. I want you to take some time to just praise God. So, whatever you’re going through right now, can you turn your worries and doubts into praise and celebration? Can you just celebrate God being God? And can you declare some promises over your life and stand on them and really step into that truth? Just spend five to ten minutes and praise. Notice how you feel after and remember that shift in your body and in your mind so that the next time anxiety arises, you can choose praise instead of worry. So, in this section, write down some of your praise. And then continue to take some time and praise God, and then press play again, and I will pray for us.

In the PRAY section, write your prayer to God and align your heart with his on the truth in this verse.

Okay, let’s pray.

God, thank you. Thank you that the battle is not mine. Thank you that the battle is yours, that you have to do the heavy lifting. I’ve struggled with fear. I’ve struggled with doubt. I’ve struggled with insecurity. It is a battle enough for me to overcome myself in those moments. So, I don’t need to be involved in all of the other parts of the war. So, thank you. Thank you for giving me a small but important role in this battle by just asking me to be full of praise and expectation. I pray that you would help us to remember who you are and help us to stand on your promises when we feel weak. Please be triumphant in our lives, Lord. In Jesus’ name, amen.