2026-10-31 Pastor Todd Casey "Which Way Are You Facing" 2 Chronicles 20:15

Second Chronicles 20 shows that trouble can come even to a good king. Jehoshaphat had served the Lord and strengthened Judah’s defenses, yet an enemy army was already inside the territory. Faithfulness had not kept trouble outside the gates. Afraid and outnumbered, Jehoshaphat set his face toward the Lord. Before trying to fix the situation, he made sure he was facing the right direction.

Jehoshaphat’s prayer names both God’s power and Judah’s helplessness. God rules over the nations, keeps his promises, and hears his people in distress. Judah has neither the strength nor the answers to meet this threat. Even with an army and fortified cities, the king refuses to make those defenses his confidence. Experience and preparation cannot replace dependence on God. Even Jesus sought the Father in prayer.

God’s answer changes whose battle this is. Judah must go out and face the enemy, but the Lord will do the fighting. Jehoshaphat takes that promise seriously enough to put singers at the front of the army. Praise goes ahead of military strength, and the Lord brings a complete victory.

That victory does not mean every trouble disappears immediately. Some troubles remain for years, and John the Baptist remained faithful without being released from prison. God’s promise reaches beyond present circumstances to the new heaven and new earth, where suffering, death, and sin will be gone. Believers are called to keep facing Jesus and glorifying him, whether deliverance comes now or at his return.

Public praise then gives others substance for their prayers. Jehoshaphat prayed with words and memories handed down through Moses, David, and Solomon. When believers tell what God has done, another struggling person gains a concrete reason to trust him. The direction remains the same: toward the Lord before the battle, through the waiting, and after the victory.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Faithfulness Does Not Keep Trouble Outside. Jehoshaphat was a good king, yet the enemy still entered Judah’s territory. Trouble’s arrival did not prove that his faithfulness had failed or that God had abandoned him. His first response was to set his face toward the Lord, making direction more important than an immediate solution. [1:04:06]
• 2. Strong Defenses Cannot Replace Dependence. Jehoshaphat had built fortresses and maintained a powerful army, but his prayer admitted helplessness. Familiar problems and years of experience can make dependence on God seem less urgent. The king’s example shows that preparation has its place without becoming the place where confidence rests. [1:07:02]
• 3. Faith Puts Praise Out Front. God promised that the battle belonged to him, and Jehoshaphat responded by placing singers before the army. That decision gave visible shape to trust in God’s word rather than confidence in a formidable appearance. Judah still had to face the enemy, but facing the enemy did not mean carrying the burden of winning the battle. [1:14:03]
• 4. Delayed Deliverance Does Not Cancel Victory. Trouble that lasts for years does not mean God has failed to hear. John the Baptist’s faithfulness did not end in release from prison, yet his life still glorified Christ. The promised end of suffering gives believers reason to keep facing Jesus without pretending to know when the trouble will end. [1:19:14]
• 5. Public Praise Gives Others Prayer Substance. Jehoshaphat’s prayer drew on words and accounts of God’s faithfulness passed down through earlier generations. Public gratitude does more than mark a personal victory; it gives another person something concrete to bring before God. Silence about deliverance withholds encouragement that could help someone else pray in distress. [1:22:19]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [56:43] - Prayer for Humble Hearts
• [58:18] - When Trouble Interrupts a Good Day
• [1:00:28] - An Enemy Inside Judah’s Territory
• [1:02:40] - Setting the Face Toward the Lord
• [1:05:14] - God’s Power and Judah’s Helplessness
• [1:10:23] - Trusting God With the Battle
• [1:13:36] - Singers at the Front
• [1:16:49] - Complete Victory and the Long Wait
• [1:20:42] - Public Praise Strengthens Others
• [1:27:51] - Closing Prayer for Faithful Dependence

Bible Reading

2 Chronicles 20:1-30
“After this the Moabites and Ammonites, and with them some of the Meunites, came against Jehoshaphat for battle. Some men came and told Jehoshaphat, “A great multitude is coming against you from Edom, from beyond the sea; and, behold, they are in Hazazon-tamar” (that is, Engedi). Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. And Judah assembled to seek help from the LORD; from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the LORD. And Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the LORD, before the new court, and said, “O LORD, God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you. Did you not, our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel, and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend? And they have lived in it and have built for you in it a sanctuary for your name, saying, ‘If disaster comes upon us, the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house and before you—for your name is in this house—and cry out to you in our affliction, and you will hear and save.’ And now behold, the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir, whom you would not let Israel invade when they came from the land of Egypt, and whom they avoided and did not destroy— behold, they reward us by coming to drive us out of your possession, which you have given us to inherit. O our God, will you not execute judgment on them? For 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.” Meanwhile all Judah stood before the LORD, with their little ones, their wives, and their children. And the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly. And he said, “Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says the LORD to you, ‘Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God’s. Tomorrow go down against them. Behold, they will come up by the ascent of Ziz. You will find them at the end of the valley, east of the wilderness of Jeruel. You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the LORD on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.’ Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the LORD will be with you.” Then Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the LORD, worshiping the LORD. And the Levites, of the Kohathites and the Korahites, stood up to praise the LORD, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice. And they rose early in the morning and went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. And when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem! Believe in the LORD your God, and you will be established; believe his prophets, and you will succeed.” And when he had taken counsel with the people, he appointed those who were to sing to the LORD and praise him in holy attire, as they went before the army, and say, “Give thanks to the LORD, for his steadfast love endures forever.” And when they began to sing and praise, the LORD set an ambush against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, so that they were routed. For the men of Ammon and Moab rose against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, devoting them to destruction, and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, they all helped to destroy one another. When Judah came to the watchtower of the wilderness, they looked toward the horde, and behold, there were dead bodies lying on the ground; none had escaped. When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take their spoil, they found among them, in great numbers, goods, clothing, and precious things, which they took for themselves until they could carry no more. They were three days in taking the spoil, it was so much. On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Beracah, for there they blessed the LORD. Therefore the name of that place has been called the Valley of Beracah to this day. Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat at their head, returning to Jerusalem with joy, for the LORD had made them rejoice over their enemies. They came to Jerusalem with harps and lyres and trumpets, to the house of the LORD. And the fear of God came on all the kingdoms of the countries when they heard that the LORD had fought against the enemies of Israel. So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet, for his God gave him rest all around.” [01:00:33]

Revelation 21:1-4
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” [01:18:40]

Matthew 11:2-6
“Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” [01:20:03]

Observation questions

1. In 2 Chronicles 20:1–4, how close was the enemy when Jehoshaphat received the news, and how did he involve the people of Judah in his response? [01:02:05]
2. In Jehoshaphat’s prayer in 2 Chronicles 20:5–12, what does he recall about God’s power and past actions? What does he admit about Judah’s ability to face the threat? [01:05:24]
3. In 2 Chronicles 20:15–22, what did God tell Judah to do, and how did Jehoshaphat arrange the people as they went out to face the enemy? [01:14:03]
4. In 2 Chronicles 20:27–30, how did Judah celebrate the victory, and what effect did the news have on the surrounding kingdoms? [01:21:21]

Interpretation questions

1. Jehoshaphat was afraid, yet he turned toward God. What does his response show about the relationship between fear and faith? Why would trouble’s arrival not prove that God had abandoned him? [01:04:21]
2. Jehoshaphat had strengthened Judah’s defenses but still admitted his helplessness before God. What is the difference between making wise preparations and making those preparations the source of confidence? [01:09:13]
3. God promised to fight for Judah, yet the people still had to go out and face the enemy. How does this help distinguish dependence on God from doing nothing? What did placing singers at the front reveal about Jehoshaphat’s trust? [01:13:36]
4. How do John’s circumstances in Matthew 11:2–6 and the future pictured in Revelation 21:1–4 help believers understand victory when present suffering continues? Why is it important not to treat Judah’s immediate deliverance as a promise that every crisis will end quickly? [01:19:18]

Application questions

1. Think of a recent moment when trouble interrupted your day. What was your first response? What might help you turn toward the Lord before rushing to fix the situation? [01:03:30]
2. Where does your experience or preparation make it easiest to feel that you can handle things without prayer? What would depending on God look like in that area this week, while still using the abilities and resources he has given you? [01:08:19]
3. Jehoshaphat brought both God’s greatness and Judah’s helplessness into his prayer. For a situation you are facing, what truth about God could you name, and what limitation or uncertainty could you honestly admit to him? [01:09:29]
4. Praise went ahead of Judah’s army before the outcome was visible. What could sincere praise look like in an unresolved situation in your life—without pretending that you are not afraid or hurting? [01:14:31]
5. If you feel comfortable sharing, what long-standing trouble makes it difficult to keep facing Jesus? How could the hope of Revelation 21:1–4, and the support of this group, help you remain faithful while you wait? [01:19:02]
6. What has God done in your life that might give someone else a concrete reason to trust him? Who could you share that with this week, while leaving room for their story to unfold differently from yours? [01:22:33]