The Battle Belongs to the Lord – 2 Chronicles 20

By on May 21, 2013 in Devotionals

R.C. Rivera joined CTLA in October 2006, one of only about a dozen members who are not attorneys.  A former pastor, he was then owner/operator of Atlas Pro Serve & Associates, with a powerful testimony, which he shared with me over lunch.  He was enthusiastic to be one of our 2007 seminar sponsors and gave me his check quite early.  At our August seminar I found out he had just been diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma and was about to begin chemotherapy.  Mark Lanier and I prayed with him at the seminar and I prayed for him daily afterwards.  R.C.’s wife Barbara kept me and others updated and I want to share the following paragraph from one of her entries.  At the time the chemo was working well, except on a tumor in the area of the brain stem.  Doctors thought it was related to the lymphoma, but it was too risky to do a biopsy.

Remember the story in II Chronicles 20 when a report came to Jehoshaphat that the sons of Moab, Ammon and some Meunites were coming to make war against him. He gathered Judah together to seek help from the Lord and he prayed a beautiful prayer of faith ending with, “For we are powerless before this great multitude who are coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are on Thee.” God spoke through Jahaziel and said “Do not fear or be dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.” Then God told them, “You need not fight in this battle; station yourselves, stand and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf.” In other words, just show up. They went to bed and slept—knowing that God would perform what he promised. The next morning Jehoshaphat appointed singers and praisers who went before the army singing, “Give thanks to the Lord, for His lovingkindness is everlasting.” The Word says that “when they began singing and praising, the Lord set ambushes against the sons of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, so they were routed.” They turned on each other, completely destroying Judah’s enemies. This brain tumor is our enemy and, like Jehoshaphat, we know not what to do. Every door seems closed, but our eyes are on our Father. We will see the salvation of the Lord. The battle is the Lord’s, but the victory is ours!


It may have been a while since you read II Chronicles 20, but Barbara’s words made me want to read it again and apply it to my life.  What is your enemy as you try to practice law or serve as a judge or be a good law student?  What is your enemy as you struggle to be a good wife/husband, son/daughter, brother/sister?  This king of Judah’s name may sound funny, but if/when you can bring yourself to pray Jehoshaphat’s prayer, you will find relief.  “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.”  From that moment, keep your eyes on the Lord through prayer and meditation on His Word.  Like the Rivera family, you will find relief and victory, when you give your battles to Him.


Update:  R.C. Rivera claimed his victory and went “home with the Lord” (2 Cor. 5:8) in June 2008.  The chemotherapy had been quite successful and he was doing amazingly well, when he and his family shared a meal in a Houston restaurant.  Unfortunately, that meal contained salmonella which his weakened immune system could not fight.  His story made national headlines as the salmonella scare was being reported, but his testimony and his family’s strong faith were also reported.  His legacy of faith lives on!


Article copyright (c) 2009 by Charles G. Mickey.  All rights reserved.

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