Let us remember the grace of God!

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It is of utmost importance to remember and recall God's grace and mercy, as well as His power. This is nothing less than trustworthy, allowing us to present ourselves before Him even in times of need.

Then Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, before the new court. 6 He said, "O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven? Do you not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations? Is not power and might in your hand so that none can withstand you? 7 Our God, did you not drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and give it to the descendants of Abraham, your friend, forever?" 8 And they have dwelt therein, and have built a sanctuary therein for your name, saying, 9 If evil comes upon us, whether the sword of punishment, or pestilence, or famine, we will come before this house, and before you (for your name is in this house), and in our affliction we will cry to you, and you will hear us and save us. 10 Now therefore, here are the children of Ammon and Moab, and the inhabitants of Mount Seir, into whose land you did not want Israel to invade when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned away from them and did not destroy them— 11 behold, they are giving us recompense, coming to drive us out of the inheritance you gave us to possess. 12 O our God, will you not judge them? For there is no power in us against so great a multitude that comes against us; we do not know what to do, yet we turn our eyes to you. 2 Chronicles 20:5-12

The Old Testament can be a great treasure where we can draw great and valuable lessons, especially from the prayers that were recorded. We remember the moment when King Jehoshaphat asked for divine help. This shows us the balance between asking the Lord to suffer his needs and at the same time proclaiming God's greatness. This teaches us that in the same way, our requests must be presented to God with full recognition of His sovereignty and magnificence. Otherwise, the focus of our prayers becomes diverted by pointing only to our needs, or even worse, weakness, failure, or fear.

16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness.

2 Timothy 3:16

Jehoshaphat cried out to God in one of the most difficult times, and at the same time, he also exalted the Lord, acknowledging all He had done for the people of Israel. This shows us that knowing the Word of God is key, as it allows us to understand how God has worked in the lives of others. This way, we have a better understanding of His mighty work and power. We have a great example of praying in a similar way to the Old Testament figures, placing all our trust in the power of God, as in those days and as it is today.

And he prayed, saying: "O Lord, God of our ancestors, you alone are the God in heaven. You are the ruler of all the kingdoms of the earth. You are strong and mighty. No one can stand before you!

2 Chronicles 20:6

I do not know this: we proclaim: "In your hand is power and might, and no one can withstand them." Jehoshaphat was praising and, at the same time, with the same prayer, he was remembering the greatness of God. Today we can take this example for ourselves: when we pray, let us speak and proclaim God's mercy and grace, and at the same time, let us remember his great power and mighty hand, as it has worked in our favor and as it will continue to do so for his glory.