So the prayer becomes simple: “Lord, elevate me to hear You.” Not out of reality, but above the noise. Elevate me from reaction to reverence. Elevate me from panic to posture. Because hearing God in troubled times is like tuning a radio while driving through a storm. Wind and rain roar, static fights the signal, and you can’t control the weather. But you can keep turning the dial toward the station that tells the truth. Trouble is the static. God is the signal.
Jehoshaphat faced that kind of static. A terrifying report came: not one enemy, but several nations were coming against Judah. Scripture doesn’t hide his humanity....it says he feared. But then it reveals his decision: he set himself to seek the Lord. That’s the turning point. Seeking God in crisis isn’t a personality trait, it’s a choice. It’s the moment you say, “Fear will not lead me. God will.”
Jehoshaphat proclaimed a fast and gathered the people, men, women, and children standing together with open hearts. Then he prayed a prayer that was honest, not polished. He remembered God’s faithfulness and confessed what so many of us whisper privately: “We have no might… neither do we know what to do…” and then he lifted their focus: ..“but our eyes are upon thee.” (2 Chronicles 20:12
They didn’t rush away after praying. They stood and waited. And while they were still, God spoke through Jahaziel: “Be not afraid… the battle is not yours, but God’s.” God didn’t deny the threat; He denied the threat the authority to decide the outcome. Then He gave instructions that required faith: go out, stand still, and watch Him save.
The next morning the enemy was still ahead, but Jehoshaphat moved forward in obedience. Here is the miracle of hearing: he didn’t just march, he worshiped. He appointed singers to go before the army, declaring praise while danger was still visible. That’s the power of praise in trouble. It refuses to let fear be the final voice.
Praise doesn’t deny the battle; it declares who owns it. It lifts your focus off what you can’t control and anchors your heart in what never changes. Praise steadies your breathing, straightens your posture, and reminds your soul, “God has been faithful before, and He will be faithful again.” And when you praise before results, you aren’t performing, you’re trusting. You’re agreeing with Heaven while Hell is trying to intimidate you. As Judah praised....God worked. Confusion broke the enemy alliance, and victory came from a battle Judah didn’t have the strength to fight.
Prayer: Lord, elevate me above the noise. When I don’t know what to do, train my eyes to stay on You. Quiet the static of fear and help me hear Your Word clearly. Teach me to worship You with my praise, while You work, and to trust that the battle belongs to You.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
