Open Heaven 15 May 2025: Divine Visitation 3
MEMORISE: 2 Chronicles 20:2
And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.
READ: 2 Chronicles 20:1-30
After this, the Moabites, the Ammonites, and with them the Meunites came against Jehoshaphat to battle.
2 It was told Jehoshaphat, A great multitude has come against you from beyond the [Dead] Sea, from Edom; and behold they are in Hazazon-tamar, which is En-gedi.
3 Then Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself [determinedly, as his vital need] to seek the Lord; he proclaimed a fast in all Judah.
4 And Judah gathered together to ask help from the Lord; even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord [yearning for Him with all their desire].
5 And Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem in the house of the Lord before the new court
6 And said, O Lord, God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven? And do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations? In Your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand You.
7 Did not You, O our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham Your friend?
8 They dwelt in it and have built You a sanctuary in it for Your Name, saying,
9 If evil comes upon us, the sword of judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house and before You—for Your Name [and the symbol of Your presence] is in this house—and cry to You in our affliction, and You will hear and save.
10 And now behold, the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, whom You would not let Israel invade when they came from the land of Egypt, and whom they turned from and did not destroy—
11 Behold, they reward us by coming to drive us out of Your possession which You have given us to inherit.
12 O our God, will You not exercise judgment upon them? For we have no might to stand against this great company that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.
13 And all Judah stood before the Lord, with their children and their wives.
14 Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly.
15 He said, Hearken, all Judah, you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you King Jehoshaphat. The Lord says this to you: Be not afraid or dismayed at this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s.
16 Tomorrow go down to them. Behold, they will come up by the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the ravine before the Wilderness of Jeruel.
17 You shall not need to fight in this battle; take your positions, stand still, and see the deliverance of the Lord [Who is] with you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Fear not nor be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.
18 And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the Lord, worshiping Him.
19 And some Levites of the Kohathites and Korahites stood up to praise the Lord, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice.
20 And 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 and remain steadfast to His prophets and you shall prosper.
21 When he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers to sing to the Lord and praise Him in their holy [priestly] garments as they went out before the army, saying, Give thanks to the Lord, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever!
22 And when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushments against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir who had come against Judah, and they were [self-] slaughtered;
23 For [suspecting betrayal] the men of Ammon and Moab rose against those of Mount Seir, utterly destroying them. And when they had made an end of the men of Seir, they all helped to destroy one another.
24 And when Judah came to the watchtower of the wilderness, they looked at the multitude, and behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none had escaped!
25 When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take the spoil, they found among them much cattle, goods, garments, and precious things which they took for themselves, more than they could carry away, so much they were three days in gathering the spoil.
26 On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Beracah. There they blessed the Lord. So the name of the place is still called the Valley of Beracah [blessing].
27 Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, Jehoshaphat leading them, to Jerusalem with joy, for the Lord had made them to rejoice over their enemies.
28 They came to Jerusalem with harps, lyres, and trumpets to the house of the Lord.
29 And the fear of God came upon all the kingdoms of those countries when they heard that the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel.
30 So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet, for his God gave him rest round about.
Read Yesterday’s Open Heaven Devotional Here
As I conclude my discussion about divine visitation today, let me mention that another divine visitor you can receive is a minister of God. In 1 Samuel 1:9-20, Hannah was in Shiloh praying passionately, and God sent His prophet to her. The prophet simply issued a decree, and her womb was opened. In 1 Samuel 16:11-13, God sent another prophet to visit David and anoint him as king. Also, in 1 Kings 19:15-21, when the time came for Elisha to begin to fulfil his purpose, God sent a prophet, Elijah, to throw his mantle on him.
Whenever God sends one of His ministers to you, believe what God has sent him or her to say to you. When Elisha decreed God’s word during the severe famine in Samaria that food would become very surplus and cheap overnight, a top government official doubted it. He couldn’t believe how such a terrible famine, during which women ate their children to survive, would disappear overnight.
However, Elisha wasn’t speaking his own words; He was speaking God’s word, and it came to pass (2 Kings 7:1-16).
When God sends His word through His ministers, anything is possible. The unbelief of the officer described in the paragraph above prevented him from partaking in the overnight miracle. He saw the miracle, but he didn’t partake of it because he spoke against God’s word (2 Kings 7:17). I pray that you will receive every word that God sends to you through His ministers in taln, in Jesus name.
In todays text, we see now three countries joined themselves together against Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah. The situation was terrible, but instead of giving in to fear, Jehoshaphat proclaimed a fast and asked his people to join him. As they prayed and sought God’s face together, His word came through Jahaziel, one of the Levites. God told them to relax because they wouldn’t need to fight the battle. He asked them to stand still and see His salvation (2 Chronicles 20:14-17). Humanly speaking, it was foolish to stand still when enemies were closing in on all sides. However, Jehoshaphat and the people believed God’s word and the prophets He spoke through.
Beloved, God’s word will sometimes defy human explanation and challenge human reasoning. However, God will always be God. If a genuine minister of God gives you a message from God, believe him or her and act accordingly. Believe God’s prophets, and you will surely prosper and be established (2 Chronicles 20:20).
KEY POINT: When you believe God’s word through His ministers, you will prosper and be established.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 2 Chronicles 20:1-30
Open Heaven 15 May 2025
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