Today's Devotion: 20 Early in the morning they left for the Desert of Tekoa. As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful.” 21 After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: “Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever.” (The Holy Bible : New International Version. electronic ed. Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1996, c1984, S. 2 Ch 20:20-21)

Facing overwhelming odds, the King of Judah, Jehoshaphat, was willing to put his trust in God that his kingdom would be delivered from the onslaught of enemy nations that were poised for Judah's destruction. In the resulting conflict that took place, not one Judean was killed or injured, but the enemy was totally destroyed.

Today's Comments: I wonder what those attacking troops thought when they saw Judean troops marching toward them with the singers in front lifting their voices in praise of God. Would we be willing, today, to trust God in the same way? Jehoshaphat was one of the few good kings of Judah who were willing to obey and follow the God of Israel. Our leaders today rarely follow God. In fact, they would deny God His rightful place as ruler of His own earthly kingdom. If we are to find peace in our time, we must return to God as a nation. Otherwise, we will continue to wallow in the muck of our own greed and sinfulness.