Do you like to know when you reach the halfway point of a journey or task? I do. When we used to go to the beach regularly, I knew we were halfway there when we passed a certain spot. I remember an intersection I used to go through on a backwoods route to visit Mom before she moved here. That intersection in the middle of the Talladega National Forest was exactly halfway between her driveway in Weaver and mine in Tallassee. Even now, I know when I’m halfway home from the office when I go past a certain church building along the way.
This reminds me of one of my favorite features of reading on a Kindle e-book reader. (No, I’m not talking about making the print as large as I want it to be.) It’s the progress indicator. I like to know when I’m 50% through a book. And as I write this column, I use a word-counting feature of the writing tools I use to track my progress. I can tell at a glance when I’m halfway through. And I’m not yet, in case you wondered.
Have you ever thought about the middle point of the Bible? Have you wondered as you read through the Old Testament with its centuries-long continuing story and hard to pronounce names when you’re halfway done? Well, if you’re counting chapters in the whole Bible, the middle chapter is Psalm 117, which is also the shortest chapter. But if you’re counting verses in the Old Testament, the middle verse is 2 Chronicles 20:17. It says, “You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them and the Lord will be with you.”
King Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah were dismayed when a great multitude of Moabites, Ammonites and Meunites were approaching the border. The little army of Judah didn’t stand a chance against the allied “-ites” that were coming. The king proclaimed a fast and prayed to God, confessing they were powerless, and then spoke one of my favorite sentences in an Old Testament prayer: “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you” (2 Chronicles 20:12).
The middle verse I mentioned above is the reply God sent to Jehoshaphat through a Levite named Jahaziel. His words emphasized three things that are good for us to know and remember when we face stressful, overwhelming circumstances.
First, he reminded them to let God be God. “You will not need to fight… see the salvation of the Lord… The Lord will be with you.” The plan was not to do, but to trust. They went out to battle thinking what Paul would write in Romans centuries later: “If God is for us, who can be against us?”
Next, he told them to not be afraid: “Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed.” Their God was bigger than their foe. They did not have to cower in fear. Surely whatever we’re afraid of is not more powerful than our Father, Almighty God.
Then, the Lord admonished them to “Stand firm.” Their confidence was not grounded in their number or their weapons, but in God’s great character and the sure faithfulness of God’s word. He assured them of God’s presence and reminded them of God’s promise.
On the day of the battle, the Lord set an ambush against the enemy forces. The invaders turned on one another, and Judah watched as their opponents destroyed one another.
Do you need to remember and believe the message of the middle verse as you face difficulties in life? I do! Let God be God. Don’t be afraid. Stand firm. When we believe and obey these words, we’ll be well on our way home.
