Daniel, when seeking understanding about that which was to come, fasted and dressed himself in sackcloth. (Daniel 9:3)

When Jonah preached in Nineveh, the king and all the citizens fasted as a sign of their repentance. (Jonah 3:5)

When faced with the devastation of the locusts during the days of Joel, a fast was called with these words: "Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the LORD your God, and cry unto the LORD." (Joel 1:14) "Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning." (Joel 2:12)

In the days of both Ezra and Nehemiah, fasts were proclaimed. For example, when Ezra and his company were making the journey back to Jerusalem, they felt a need to fast and pray for protection for their journey. (Ezra 8:21)

And notice that in the great reform movement of Nehemiah's day, the people fasted. (Nehemiah 9:1)

In the New Testament, as the result of fasting, Peter was miraculously called to preach the Gospel at Cornelius' house. (Acts 10:30)

And as Paul went about planting churches, fasting was a part of the ordination of elders. (Acts 14:23)

On the other hand, we also understand from Scripture that there is a fast which is not acceptable with God. In the teaching on prayer that we mentioned at the beginning, Jesus warned about a fast which is only interested in drawing attention to itself. But this is a theme picked up from the great prophets, Isaiah and Jeremiah. (Isaiah 58:3 and Jeremiah 14:12) And remember, it was a hypocritical Pharisee who bragged about his fasting, saying, "I fast twice a week". (Luke 18:12)

But the historical account concerning fasting that we want to took at is found in II Chronicles 20, the story about King Jehoshaphat.

Allow me to provide a bit of background.

He was the great great grandson of the wise King Solomon. Jehoshaphat was known to be a good king, who "walked in the ways of his father David". It was said that he "sought the God of his father", and "his heart was devoted to the ways of the Lord." Jehoshaphat also received high marks because he sent officials and ministers throughout Judah in order to teach the "Book of the Law of the Lord" to all the people (II Chronicles 17). Consequently, the Lord blessed this king, and he prospered greatly.

A few years later, an amazing series of events took place. Ahab, who at that time was king of Israel to the north, asked Jehoshaphat to join forces and go to battle with him against Ramoth Gilead. However, before giving his "final answer", Jehoshaphat told Ahab that they must "First seek the counsel of the Lord." What a great idea! So Ahab brought in 400 prophets who all agreed that the battle plan was certainly of God. But Jehoshaphat still felt uneasy, and asked if there were not yet one prophet who had not been consulted. Ahab said there was, but he never liked his counsel. Nevertheless, Micaiah was called in and spoke very clearly in opposition to the others, even though they coached him before hand to go along with the majority opinion. In his speech before the kings, Micaiah told an astounding story about the Lord commissioning a "lying spirit" to entice Ahab to agree to this battle. Of course Ahab was outraged, and sent Micaiah off to prison.

Much to his discredit, Jehoshaphat did go with Ahab, and even agreed to a plan whereby only he would wear kingly robes - Ahab would go into battle disguised as a common soldier. But God's plan prevailed - Ahab was slain, while Jehoshaphat escaped when his pursuers realized they were chasing the wrong king.

Following that battle, Jehoshaphat again proved himself to be a worthy leader as he instituted a fine judiciary system throughout his kingdom. Then comes the part of his story that is of special interest to us.

Word was brought to Jehoshaphat that enemies of Judah - Moabites, Amonites and Meunites - were planning an attack. Now under a severe threat, the king reverted to his former practice - "Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord." Please notice that this included a proclamation of a country-wide fast. (II Chronicles 20) People from every town in Judah gathered in Jerusalem in order to "seek the Lord." This was a crisis - a powerful enemy was approaching, and they understood that the only help they could rely on would be that which would come from the Lord. Entire families came, husbands, wives, children and infants -everyone came to fast and pray (verse 13). As they did so, the Spirit of the Lord came on a prophet by the name of Jahaziel who spoke a wonderful word of encouragement (verses 15-17).

The enemies of the people of God are on the move again, and are threatening the "Peace of Jerusalem." By the way, it is my belief that when Scripture calls on us to "Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem", it's not just about praying for a particular geographical location, it's about interceding on behalf of the people of God that they may be protected from the enemy.

Look first at the prayer of King Jehoshaphat.

1. Notice the first part of the prayer was an expression of praise to God (verse 6). He acknowledged that he was praying to the "God of our fathers", the God who is in heaven - sounding much like the prayer Jesus taught, "Our Father who art in heaven." Jehoshaphat also exalted God as the ruler of nations with power and might, against whom no one can stand

2. Then his prayer brought back memories about past victories (verse 7), how that God drove out the inhabitants during the time of Joshua, as the Children of Israel came into the promised land. Speaking of the Children of Israel, did you hear the story about the Country Church Sunday School, when the new teacher finished the day's lesson and gave time for the usual question period?

"Teacher," announced little Joey, "there's somethin' I can't figure out."
"What's that, Joey?"
"Well, accordin' to the Bible, the Children of Israel crossed the Red Sea, right?"
"Right."
"An' the Children of Israel beat up the Philistines, right?"
"Er-right."
"An' the Children of Israel built the Temple, right?"
"An' the Children of Israel fought the 'gyptians, an' the Children of Israel fought the Romans, an' the Children of Israel wuz always doin' somethin' important, right?"
"All that is right, too," agreed the teacher. "So what's your question?"
"What I wanna know is this," demanded Joey. "What wuz all the grown-ups doin' all that time?"

3. Then followed the part where they recalled the promises of God (verses 8, 9). At this point they specifically remembered when the temple had been dedicated. One thing is for sure, God is the preeminent Promise Keeper. Many here today may have been disappointed in childhood because of parents who made, but did not keep their promises. One of the most heart wrenching cries is that of a child when he or she says, "But Daddy, you promised." We used to sing a song about this, "Jesus never fails, Jesus never fails. Heaven or earth may pass away, but Jesus never fails." When facing the enemy's attack, it's always a good idea to remember that God has been faithful in the past, and He will still be faithful 'til the end.

4. After recognizing who God is through praise, recounting the history of past victories, and remembering the promises, then Jehoshaphat made his request known. When we are too quick to get to naming the problem, even in the presence of God, that becomes our focus, and prayer can easily become a "poor me" pity party. Instead of being an antidote for anxiety, fear and depression, prayer sometimes only contributes to it. That's why the Psalmist preaches, "Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise." (Psalm 100:4)

5. Then Jehoshaphat included something in his prayer that many of us may have difficulty doing, he recognized his and Judah's powerlessness (verse 12). Another tune comes to mind: "Got and rivers you think are uncrossable; Got any mountains you can't tunnel through; God specializes in things thought impossible; and He can do what no other one can do."

But I especially love this statement Jehoshaphat included at the end of his prayer, "We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you." Certainly there can be no better way to face any difficulty, problem, or enemy within or without than to make such a statement. With our eyes on Jesus, victory is certain.

In answer to Jehoshaphat's prayer, God spoke through His Prophet Jahaziel. Listen to the message:

"Don't be afraid or discouraged - the battle is the Lord's" (verse 15). Note that this is not a denial of reality; there is a truthful recognition of the problem - the enemy was bringing a "vast army". But God promised to do the fighting. Remember what Paul so clearly states in Ephesians 6:12: "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."

If we could only let Him do the fighting. Not that there is nothing for us to do, for the text assigned a role for the people: "Take up your positions, stand firm and see the deliverance." (verse 17)

What are the positions taken by the people? First, to bow down - this was done by King Jehoshaphat and all the people. Then theirs was to stand and to praise God with a loud voice. (verse 19). Then notice what happened next, they went into the battle, not with shouts of "kill 'em", not with swords and spears, not with chariots and rock throwers, but with songs of praise.

Can you imagine the scene? Can you hear the sounds? Unbelievable! But see the results!

This certainly is one of the great accounts of God's intervention on behalf of the people of God when they were being threatened by the enemy. King Jehoshaphat prayed a powerful, model prayer. The prophet spoke a wonderful word of encouragement and direction. By the way, did you notice verse 20? "Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful." It seems that we've got the first part down pretty good, but due to the frequent failure of leaders to maintain their integrity, we are struggling with our willingness to trust those whom God has sent to speak to us and give needed guidance. Sometimes when people do not agree with the decisions made by their leaders, they say "I don't trust them." A more correct statement would be, "I don't agree with them." But when they confuse disagreement with distrust, and speak those words, then they promote doubt and distrust, and pretty soon no one is listening to the Word of the Lord given through the prophets.

But it's important for us to circle back to where we began, and where Jehoshaphat began. The story would never have been written if it hadn't been for a king, looking in the face of a very difficult problem, and responding appropriately by calling a fast.

I don't know what most of you are facing in your personal lives, but I know that the church of Jesus Christ is facing an all-out attack of the enemy. As we deal with this, let's us all follow the pattern modeled by good King Jehoshaphat - fast and pray. As we pray, let us pray the prayer of praise, recount the history of God's victories of the past, recall the promises, define the problem in the presence of God and humble ourselves with an understanding of our true limitations. Then we will be ready to hear the Word of the Lord - "Don't be afraid or discouraged - the battle is the Lord's."