SEEK THE LORD
LIVING WORD DEVOTIONAL By Pastor Mensa Otabil
Wednesday 25th June 2025
SEEK THE LORD
*Scripture Reading:* 2 Chronicles 20:1-23
And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. So Judah gathered together to ask help from the Lord; and from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord. *2 Chronicles 20:3-4*_
King Jehoshaphat was faced with a formidable threat against his nation. Some leaders of Judah brought disturbing news to the king about a great coalition of nations coming from Syria to fight against him.
The invasion of the army caught Jehoshaphat by surprise. By the time he got the word the enemy was at Engedi on the western bank of the Dead Sea, well within the territory of Judah. The king was afraid.
With a powerful army against him and nowhere to turn, Jehoshaphat proclaimed a fast to seek for God’s help and guidance. In the process, God gave him a battle strategy. The worshippers were asked to lead the battle. Through obedience to God’s leading, they won the battle against the ‘great multitude’.
It was customary with the Hebrew kings to proclaim fasts in perilous circumstances, either in a city, a district, or throughout the entire kingdom, depending on the severity of the emergency. On this occasion, it was a universal fast, which extended to infants.
On life’s journey, moments of trouble and crisis will come. When we turn to God, He’s able to see us through the most impossible of situations. King Jehoshaphat’s experience shows us that God is capable of helping those who call on Him. We learn two things from this story.
1. Seek the Lord. That means Jehoshaphat turned to God. He focused on the Lord and made Him his priority. He saw no recourse in Judah’s predicament except to look to God and seek Him for direction.
2. Ask for help from the Lord. That means they relied on God to fight those who had risen against them. They prayed to God, putting before Him the facts of the situation and asking for His help. He heard them and answered them.
Are you faced with a threat like King Jehoshaphat? You can do what the king did. Seek the Lord and call upon His name in prayer and He will do for you what He did for King Jehoshaphat.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, I have set myself to seek your help. Show me what you want me to do at all times. In Jesus’ name, *Amen.*_
