Every battle yields a weapon. As a matter of fact, we don’t even get a full 4 chapters into the beginning of the Bible before we see warfare between brothers. Cain, in his fury, kills his brother Abel. Where our canonized Scripture doesn’t say exactly how, some would say it was a stone while others would argue a knife. I’m certain there are sill other theories as to Cain’s weapon of choice.

From there, we see throughout the Bible as well as throughout history where short range fighting instruments were forged…the axe (as Vikings later would choose because of the ease & cost), the sword (many years later the favorite of medieval knights, the symbol of Arthur’s Roundtable), the spear or javelin, the bow, along with various & sundry other relatively short range weapons.

As time marched on, medium range weapons were invented including the much larger version of the slingshot…the catapult, then onto guns as we would see in our mind’s eye the American Revolution musket & the cannon & even surprisingly primitive submarines in that war, eventually the Civil War brought around the Gatling gun, the first of World Wars giving us grenades, planes, & tanks, & flamethrowers along with poisonous gas, which were some weapons that helped us move toward long range warfare with larger impact or blast zones.

With every age came new types of warfare, like the advent of the atomic bomb dropped first in WW2. More bio-chemical weapons continued to develop as well as remotely controlled missiles of the Gulf War & smart bombs.

The century turns & we begin using drones to deliver warfare & continue to infiltrate the internet with cyber weaponry.

Weapons have been used on the defense & the offense throughout history, but one thing remains, Every problem we face is a battle, & every battle requires a weapon.

What battle are you fighting today? Did you walk in this morning in the midst of a battle? Have you recently finished fighting a battle? Maybe you have on coming up.

Have you been betrayed by a friend this week you though you could trust?

Were you bypassed for an expected promotion at your workplace?

Did you receive a medical diagnosis that has shaken you to your very core?

Maybe it’s an unexpected death, or family issues. Maybe you have $18.02 in your bank account & you can’t seem to make the paycheck last as long as the bills do.

Let me encourage you to choose your weapon before you head into battle. You see, the battlefield is NOT conducive to careful, rational analysis of the situation with reasonable, slow & steady strategic response.

As we read the story of Jehoshaphat, we see his weapons of choice as he prepares for battle against three nations that surrounded him.

Read 2 Chronicles 20:1-12.

Do you see his FIRST WEAPON? It is prayer! His immediate response was to go to the Lord, not to consult with experts, or gather in the situation room.

He didn’t sit down with the leaders of his army, even though it is said he had more than a million men serving him militarily. The force of one country’s army is ill matched with the force of three countries invading.

He gathered everyone who would go to battle, & instead of strategizing, he forged the weapon of prayer & turned them toward the Lord.

Verse 18 clues us into his SECOND WEAPON OF CHOICE…praise & worship.

Read vv. 18-23

Through the Scriptures, we are instructed to lift a song of praise to God. Despite the outcome of the battle, this is the way to victory. I have no doubt that Jehoshaphat was fearful. I wonder if he even felt like organizing an impromptu choir at the time, but he knew it’s what had been instructed. It was, through obedience to the word from the Lord, his weapon of choice. It wasn’t praise of his military leaders or even his own expertise. It wasn’t praise of the size of his army. It was praise of the one true God.

King Canute was once ruler of The North Sea Empire of Denmark, England, & Norway. The members of his court in the late 900s/early 1000s were continually full of flattery. “You are the greatest man that ever lived…You are the most powerful king of all…Your highness, there is nothing you cannot do, nothing in this world dares disobey you.”

The king was a wise man and he grew tired such foolish speeches. One day as he was walking by the seashore Canute decided to teach them a lesson.

“So you say I am the greatest man in the world?” he asked them.

“O king,” they cried, “there never has been anyone as mighty as you, and there never be anyone so great, ever again!”

“And you say all things obey me?” Canute asked.

“Yes sire” they said. “The world bows before you, and gives you honour.”

“I see,” the king answered. “In that case, bring me my chair, and place it down by the water.”

The servants scrambled to carry Canute’s royal chair over the sands. At his direction they placed it right at the water’s edge.

The King sat down and looked out at the ocean. “I notice the tide is coming in. Do you think it will stop if I give the command?”

“Give the order, O great king, and it will obey,” cried his entourage

“Sea,” cried Canute, “I command you to come no further! Do not dare touch my feet!”

He waited a moment, and a wave rushed up the sand and lapped at his feet.

“How dare you!” Canute shouted. “Ocean, turn back now! I have ordered you to retreat before me, and now you must obey! Go back!”

In came another wave lapping at the king’s feet. Canute remained on his throne throughout the day, screaming at the waves to stop. Yet in they came anyway, until the seat of the throne was covered with water.

Finally Canute turned to his entourage and said, “It seems I do not have quite so much power as you would have me believe. Perhaps now you will remember there is only one King who is all-powerful, and it is he who rules the sea, and holds the ocean in the hollow of his hand. I suggest you reserve your praises for him.”

Our praise goes to Him & Him alone, every time, in preparation for the battle.

The end result? VICTORY!

Read vv. 24-30

The victory was for him, the same as it will be for us…peace on every side. Psalm 119:165 states in the NIV, “Great peace have they who love your law, & nothing can make them stumble.

My victory is peace. Your victory is peace. Let me caution you though, that your victory is not just meant for you to have sitting on the shelf of your spiritual closet. James 1:17 reminds us that “every good & perfect gift is from above…” He fully intends for you to bring Him glory in & through the battle. His peace is a spoil of warfare, a loot, if you will, meant to remind you of His goodness when you partake in it. When you have peace, it is not because of what you’ve done, or how hard you’ve fought, or how strategic you were in life planning. It’s not because of how you outperformed your opponent in battle. It is because HE fought for you, destroyed the enemy, & now awards you peace on all sides. It is for His glory.

It is interesting in verse 13 that the author chooses to remind us in this assembly that there were wives & children present as Judah was preparing for battle. May I speak candidly to men for a moment?

Read vv.14-17

The battle is never yours to win or lose. Victory comes from Him. JESUS is my victory, & He can be yours also if you just believe today. Call on His name, & see how He shows up i. Your battle!