Our Eyes are On You
In a chaotic world, peace, joy, faith, and hope are found in Christ, secure in God’s love. The unfolding of geo-political events last week underscores the importance of maintaining confidence in Christ. He overcame so that we could live as overcomers!
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” Rom. 8:35-37 NIV
Throughout the course of human history, disease, poverty, war, and every form of evil has occurred. Evil rulers start wars because they are influenced by human and demonic agendas that are contrary to God’s love and kingdom values. But they cannot separate us from God’s love in Christ Jesus! We are eternally secure in Christ, even if put to death for Him.
We awoke last Thursday to the news of Russia starting a war against its neighbor Ukraine. As I went to prayer, the Lord impressed upon me, how evil Putin is and how deceived world leaders have been about him since he took power in 1999. But he is not “it,” and this is not the great war before the return of Christ. No, we have some distance to go. These are birth pains. Therefore, don’t sit back and say, “Oh well.” No, pray and intercede on behalf of the Ukrainians and our world!
The enemy has come once again to steal, kill, and destroy humanity. But Jesus desires to restore, rebuild, and provide humanity with abundant life. The enemy is attempting to not only destroy the nation and people of Ukraine but to start WW3 where millions could die. But God everyone! The Almighty reigns!
God desires to bring a spiritual awakening in Europe, we must contend in the Spirit for war to cease and for Jesus to reign! Pray for world leaders to have heaven’s wisdom to deal with Putin and his evil agenda. Pray for the protection and deliverance of the Ukrainian people, but also pray for the people of Russia. Many want no part of this war or communism, they want freedom and democracy. Pray millions would arise in Russia to oppose Putin and this war.
In our world, we experience adversity, but God promises to deliver us out of them all. “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the Lord delivers him out of them all.” (Psalm 34:19 NKJV) Be confident in Him! Our security is in Christ and God’s Word. Everything else can change, but God’s Word endures forever! (Isa. 40:8)
This moment provides great opportunity for the church to be the light of the world. To dispel the darkness with His light, love, and power. To endeavor to fight the good fight of faith. To win people to Jesus and disciple them in His ways and Word. To be compelled by His love to reach them, help them, and minister to them.
Impossibility Creates an Atmosphere for a Miracle
In times of crisis, the Bible and history record the result of united prayer against common enemies. Prayer is not an addendum to our faith; prayer breathes from communion with God and moves mountains.
The Bible is full of examples of God’s miraculous deliverance during hopeless situations. In this moment, many in the church and in the world need confident saints amid uncertainty. Through yielded vessels, God’s authority and peace will prevail to bring hope and change to a fearful world.
Do you believe in miracles? I do. God is a God of miracles—the same today, yesterday, and forever. I love to read bible accounts and Church history where God makes a miraculous intervention for His people. To me, it’s the Lord’s invitation to believe He will do it again!
There’s a wonderful story of miracle deliverance from a common enemy in 2 Chronicles 20 that I’d like to look at with you today (I encourage you to read this entire story 2 Chr. 20:1-30). This article is an excerpt from my latest book, Our Eyes are On You: Principles to Prevail in Faith and Prayer.
Verse 20:1-2 –
It happened after this that the people of Moab with the people of Ammon, and others with them besides the Ammonites, came to battle against Jehoshaphat. Then some came and told Jehoshaphat, saying, “A great multitude is coming against you from beyond the sea, from Syria; and they are in Hazazon Tamar” (which is En Gedi). NKJV
King Jehoshaphat was in power. If you’ll remember, King Jehoshaphat came to reign at a young age; he was a righteous king who revered the Lord. During his time in power, you can read back in chapter 18, he removed the high places and groves (that were in God’s land), which were used for idol worship. He sent his army into these places and tore them down.
This is a wise thing to seek to do in our lives; we should aim to tear down the old areas of our lives that were not dedicated to the Lord. However, Jehoshaphat didn’t stop there. Having torn down the high places, he sent teachers and brought in the principles of the word of God.
You see, it’s not enough to simply remove the negative in our lives—we must rebuild on the Word. We must refill that empty place with God and His Spirit.
A Common Enemy
What happened to King Jehoshaphat after he removed the enemy territory and rededicated it to the Lord? The enemy surrounded him, ready to attack the nation. Historians have said they were outnumbered 60 to 1. It was an impossible situation.
Who does the enemy typically attack? A lukewarm Christian? No, he goes after the one who is close to the Lord, moving in His love and power. Which church would the enemy attack? The one’s with a Kingdom vision, moving in the power of His love and grace – the ones who are dangerous!
In 2003, I made a ministry trip to Ukraine. I had the opportunity to minister in large churches in the city of Kiev and Kharkov. God’s Spirit is moving in power in this nation! Many have come to Christ since the fall of the Soviet Union and their freedom in 1991. Putin has tried to distort history and oppress the beautiful people of Ukraine. We must stand with them and pray with them fervently!
But also understand, evil is indiscriminate. History records how evil exploits opportunities—such as perceived weakness. Poor policy decisions by presidents and world leaders during the past 20 years have paved the way for war in Ukraine. Again, the enemy desires to start WW3, but God everybody! China, Iran and North Korea are all watching to see how world leaders will respond. The global Church must pray earnestly for world leaders to step up and do what is needed. God can turn this war into a global revival!
See what happens in verse 3-4:
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.” NKJV
Notice Jehoshaphat’s initial reaction: he feared! It’s easy to become fearful when dire events loom and circumstances seem contrary to God’s Word. However, faith doesn’t deny the facts of a situation but trusts God for help and deliverance amid the contradiction.
The Psalmist wrote:
You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, Nor of the arrow that flies by day, Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday… Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, Even the Most High, your dwelling place, No evil shall befall you, Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;” Psalm 91:5-6; 9-10 NKJV
The prophet told Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah:
And he said, “Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the Lord to you: ‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.” 2 Chr. 20:15 NKJV
Did you catch that? Do not be afraid! Why? The battle is God’s! We pray for world leaders to have divine wisdom in what to do. We pray for the brave Ukrainian men and women who are fighting for their nation and freedom. We pray for the military equipment and aid needed to arrive quickly. But, as a faith community, we also know God still answers prayer, can supernaturally intervene, and change dire situations quickly. It’s Who He is!
Jehoshaphat turned his fear to action: he sought the Lord with prayer and fasting in the land.
Jehoshaphat prayed in verses 5-12:
Then 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, and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in Your hand is there not power and might, so that no one is able to withstand You?
Are You not our God, who drove out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel, and gave it to the descendants of Abraham Your friend forever? And they dwell in it and have built You a sanctuary in it for Your name, saying, ‘If disaster comes upon us—sword, judgment, pestilence, or famine—we will stand before this temple and in Your presence (for Your name is in this temple), and cry out to You in our affliction, and You will hear and save.’
And now, here are the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir—whom You would not let Israel invade when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them and did not destroy them— here they are, rewarding us by coming to throw us out of Your possession which You have given us to inherit. O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.” NKJV
Out of this prayer, three prayer principles emerge.
We Pray Because of Who God Is
First, we pray based on who God is. Jehoshaphat begins his prayer not with the need, but with God Himself—God’s character. If you begin with your need, your focus is wrong.
Prayer isn’t reminding God how serious the situation is. Can you see God wringing His hands?! We must cultivate a relationship with God to really know who He is, what He is like, what His character demonstrates.
Jehoshaphat turns his back on the armies of the enemy. He fills his heart and mind with the greatness of God. God is big enough to orchestrate all the pieces in our lives. Whatever the situation may be, God can bring the right people, the right provision into place, etc. It’s Who He is.
Jehoshaphat turns his back on the armies of the enemy. He fills his heart and mind with the greatness of God. He confidently declares, “You are God in heaven; you rule over the nations, and in your hand is power, no one can withstand you!”
We can declare, “Jesus you triumphed over all evil and powers, you alone are victor!” We pray from His victory, based upon who God is. Refuse fear!
The most repeated command in Scripture is, “Fear not!” Why? To refuse fear permits faith to flourish. Confident faith is free of fear and full of God’s peace during the storms of life.
Everyone has trials and hardships. Your union with Jesus in His death, resurrection, and ascension glory imparts His authority over the chaos of this world and the circumstances you face. Resting in Christ’s finished work positions you to live as an overcomer. As a follower of Jesus, you are an heir of God and joint-heir with Christ, which affords you His favor, resource, and the power of God’s kingdom in this present life.
God is big enough to orchestrate all the pieces in our lives. God can bring the right people, the right provision into place. And, by faith, God will do the same for Ukraine in this hour!
We Pray Because of What God Has Done
Jehoshaphat is standing in the land that God has promised them. “You drove out the inhabitants … We were an unorganized people, but God you did it supernaturally … if we are going to stay here, it will be supernatural!”
He’s essentially saying, “God you did something supernatural back then, and we put our eyes on you. We put our feet down and say ‘the very God who helped us across the Red Sea, and across the Jordan is going to move now and keep this in our hands!'”
Can you remember a time when God helped you? Do you have any covenant history with God? Pray based on what He has done for you and others in the past. It’s an invitation to the miraculous!
When Britain was close to defeat during the 2nd World War, and the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) and other allied troops were trapped at Dunkirk, a small town on the coast of France, God intervened.[1] In desperation, King George 6th called for a National Day of Prayer to be held on 26th May 1940. In a national broadcast, he instructed the people of the UK to turn back to God in a spirit of repentance and plead for Divine help. Millions of people across the British Isles flocked into churches praying for deliverance.
Two events immediately followed. Firstly, a violent storm arose over the Dunkirk region grounding the Luftwaffe which had been killing thousands on the beaches. And then secondly, a great calm descended on the Channel, the likes of which hadn’t been seen for a generation, which allowed hundreds of tiny boats to sail across and rescue 335,000 soldiers, rather than the estimated 20-30,000. From then on people referred to what happened as “the miracle of Dunkirk”. Sunday, June 9th was officially appointed as a Day of National Thanksgiving. [2]
Global Church, pray and stand firm based on God’s covenant. God desires for His Spirit to move across Ukraine and all of Europe—not war. Let’s believe for God’s supernatural intervention as He has done before!
We Pray Because of What God Has Said
King Jehoshaphat prays based on who God is, what God has done, and finally, on the basis of what God has said.
It’s a good thing he knew what God had said. If he hadn’t known what God had spoken and prayed holding that word up to God and against the enemy, the enemy would have taken their inheritance.
What does this look like? For you personally it may be, “God, you said, ‘by His stripes we are healed,’ Or “God you said, ‘Seek Me first and all these things will be given to you.'” God loves when you and I stand on His Word.
You see, many believers get a victory based on the sovereignty of God, but if they don’t know what is in their covenant contract with God, the enemy will come and take it away from them, whether it is healing, financial breakthrough, their God-given destiny, etc.
Someone might say “Well I guess it wasn’t God’s will, or I guess it was just my imagination.” No! Do you know what He has promised you? If you don’t know what God has promised you, that which is in His covenant policy, you’ll make no claim on it.
Jehoshaphat knew that the enemy had no right. “Right here Lord, it says in your covenant this land is ours forever!” Therefore enemy, you can try and send 60 to 1, BUT GOD SAID! I put my feet down on the solid rock of the Word!
Hide His Word in your heart, make your claim, and stand on it!
For Ukraine, we must discern the spiritual forces of darkness working through Putin to take from the Ukrainians their land and freedoms. God gave them this land and freedom over a 1,000 years ago. Make a bold spiritual stance as you pray for them, make a claim as though you were standing in their land, and stand on God’s Word and covenant!
Final Thoughts…
How do you pray when all hell has broken loose? You go to God alone.
If our eyes are on the great multitude coming against us, then we become discouraged. But when they are on God, on His throne, all things become possible. Many need the Church to stand in the gap and pray. This is not a time to panic like many in the world, but rather to keep our eyes on Him and trust Him in this crisis. We will overcome this—for nothing is impossible for God!
Are your eyes on Him? Are you trusting in who He is, what He has done and what He has promised?
Has God ever lost His power? Has He ever lost control? Has God ever broken His promise? The answer is never! He never has and never will, our God is still the same!
God is saying to the church in Ukraine and around the world– don’t look at the 60:1 enemy arrayed against us; rather, look at who God is, what He has done, and what He has promised.
Make a demand today based on Who God is, what He has done, and what He has said. God is for us!
For a deeper look at this topic, watch the Passion Church message “Our Eyes are On You”
[1] Battle of Dunkirk – HISTORY
[2] National Day of Prayer at the time of Dunkirk 1940 | Anglican Ink © 2022
