~~~~

1. 
   "I have been so often prevented from reaching India that it seems hardly real that I am sitting in a ship bound for India. And, having reached that, what shall I do with myself? However,'Lead kindly light, amid the encircling gloom, lead Thou me on'. That thought is my solace, and may it be yours in the darkest moments." -M.K.G.
   
    Lead, kindly Light, amid th'encircling gloom;
   Lead thou me on!
   The night is dark, and I am far from home;
   Lead thou me on!
   Keep thou my feet; I do not ask to see
   The distant scene--one step enough for me.
2. 2. I was not ever thus, nor pray'd that thou
   Shouldst lead me on.
   I loved to choose and see my path; but now,
   Lead thou me on!
   I loved the garish day, and, spite of fears,
   Pride ruled my will. Remember not past years.
3. 3. So long thy pow'r hath blest me, sure it still
   Will lead me on
   O'er moor and fen, o'er crag and torrent, till
   The night is gone.
   And with the morn those angel faces smile,
   Which I have loved long since, and lost awhile!
4. Text: John Henry Newman, 1801-1890
   Music: John B. Dykes, 1823-1876

sin cycles

Some thoughts on 2 Chronicles 20 (scroll down)

After this ithe Moabites and Ammonites, and with them some of the Meunites,1 came against Jehoshaphat for battle. 2 Some men came and told Jehoshaphat, “A great multitude is coming against you from Edom,2 from beyond the sea; and, behold, they are in jHazazon-tamar” (that is, kEngedi). 3 Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his facelto seek the Lord, and mproclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. 4 And Judah assembled to seek help from the Lord; from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord.

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 nGod in heaven? You orule over all the kingdoms of the nations. pIn your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you. 7 Did you not, our God, qdrive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel, and give it forever to the descendants of rAbraham your friend? 8 And they have lived in it and have built for you in it a sanctuary for your name, saying, 9 s‘If disaster comes upon us, the sword, judgment,3 or pestilence, or famine, twe will stand before this house and before you—ufor your name is in this house—and cry out to you in our affliction, and you will hear and save.’ 10 And now behold, the men of vAmmon and Moab and wMount Seir, whomxyou would not let Israel invade when they came from the land of Egypt,yand whom they avoided and did not destroy—11 behold, they reward uszby coming to drive us out of your possession, which you have given us to inherit. 12 O our God, will you not aexecute judgment on them? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but bour eyes are on you.”

13 Meanwhile all Judah stood before the Lord, with their little ones, their wives, and their children. 14 And cthe 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.15 And he said, “Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says the Lord to you, d‘Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, efor the battle is not yours but God's.16 Tomorrow go down against them. Behold, they will come up by the ascent of Ziz. You will find them at the end of fthe valley, east of the wilderness of Jeruel. 17 gYou 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.’ dDo not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, hand the Lord will be with you.”

18 Then Jehoshaphat ibowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before theLord, worshiping the Lord. 19 And the Levites, of the jKohathites and thekKorahites, 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 lthe wilderness of Tekoa. And when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem! mBelieve in theLord your God, and you will be established; believe his prophets, and you will succeed.” 21 And when he had taken counsel with the people, he appointed those who were to sing to the Lord and praise him nin holy attire, as they went before the army, and say,

o“Give thanks to the Lord,

for his steadfast love endures forever.”

22 And when they began to sing and praise, the Lord set pan ambush against the men of qAmmon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, so that they were routed. 23 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,rthey all helped to destroy one another.

24 When Judah came to the watchtower of the wilderness, they looked toward the horde, and behold, there4 were dead bodies lying on the ground; none had escaped. 25 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. 26 On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Beracah,5 for there they blessed the Lord. Therefore the name of that place has been called the Valley of Beracah to this day. 27 Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat at their head, returning to Jerusalem with joy, sfor the Lord had made them rejoice over their enemies. 28 They came to Jerusalem with harps and lyres and trumpets, to the house of the Lord. 29 tAnd the fear of God came on all the kingdoms of the countries when they heard that the Lordhad fought against the enemies of Israel. 30 So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet, ufor his God gave him rest all around.

31 vThus Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah. He was thirty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi. 32 He walked in the way of Asa his father and did not turn aside from it, doing what was right in the sight of the Lord. 33 wThe high places, however, were not taken away; xthe people had not yet set their hearts upon the God of their fathers.

34 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, from first to last, are written in the chronicles of yJehu the son of Hanani, zwhich are recorded in the Book of the Kings of Israel.

35 aAfter this Jehoshaphat king of Judah joined with Ahaziah king of Israel, who acted wickedly. 36 He joined him in building ships to go tobTarshish, and they built the ships in Ezion-geber. 37 Then Eliezer the son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying,c“Because you have joined with Ahaziah, the Lord will destroy what you have made.” And the ships were wrecked and were not able to go to Tarshish.__________________________________________________________

I love the prayers of the kings of old- they tell so much of the fears, hopes and lives of the people.

v9 ‘If disaster comes upon us, the sword, judgment,3 or pestilence, or famine, twe will stand before this house and before you—ufor your name is in this house—and cry out to you in our affliction, and you will hear and save.’

In times of peril, stand before God's house, his dwelling place, not out of tradition or randomness but because "your name is in this house" - it is imbued with the power of his presence. Come, crying out to Him and believe that he will hear and save.
c.f. 2 Chronicles 6:18-20

  

v12 O our God, will you not aexecute judgment on them? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but bour eyes are on you.”

How oft can sin feel like a great horde, charging at us, pulling at us strapping us down imprisoning us - trapped in the same relentless cycles again and again, at our wits end all we can say is "We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you". What a magical turn of phrase, but our eyes are on you, that we can turn and look up, seeing there someone who is powerful and strong to deliver us.

v15-17 And he said, “Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says the Lord to you, d‘Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, efor the battle is not yours but God's.16 Tomorrow go down against them. Behold, they will come up by the ascent of Ziz. You will find them at the end of fthe valley, east of the wilderness of Jeruel. 17 gYou 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.’ dDo not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, hand the Lord will be with you.”

The Battle is not yours but God's - it is not mine to fight and triumph over sin, how can I emancipate myself from myself? Be still, the LORD will fight for you. Be still, hold your position, and watch as He does amazing things more than you could ever imagine. Go out and meet the enemy face on, tomorrow, do not delay. The LORD will be with you. 

v20b Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be established; believe his prophets, and you will succeed.”

Believe in the words that have been laid down

v29 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.

Look what God can do :) How little a view I have of Him!

v35-37 After this Jehoshaphat king of Judah joined with Ahaziah king of Israel, who acted wickedly. 36 He joined him in building ships to go tobTarshish, and they built the ships in Ezion-geber. 37 Then Eliezer the son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying,c“Because you have joined with Ahaziah, the Lord will destroy what you have made.” And the ships were wrecked and were not able to go to Tarshish.

And so Jehoshaphat falls back into his old bad habits- dallying with the evil kings of Israel, usually for political-territorial purposes. And again God punishes him - destroying his ships though Jehoshaphat himself is spared.

So God is mighty to win the battle for us, even when our enemies seem overwhelming. He will answer when we stand in his presence and call upon His name. Little is needed of us, but to hold our positions, stand firm for the kingdom we belong to, believing in God's word. God will ultimately triumph and everyone will know and fear Him, for He is strong to save His people. Even people like Jehoshaphat who fall into the same old bad habits- not that God condones them - but he preserves the lives of those he loves.