O our God, will You not judge them? For we are powerless before this great multitude who are coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are on You.” 2 Chronicles 20:12.
Today your LORD (יהוה) God (אלהים) says:
When you cast your care on Me knowing I will take care of you in whatever matter it is, whether of your own making or that of another, it means you are keeping your attention on Me above the problem, the world, and all the other voices that you are hearing that would toss you about in many directions.
And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ. Ephesians 4:11-15.
There is a solution for everything, and you will only find it in Me. I have all the answers and I am willing to give them to you. Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and you shall enter. And that is what casting your care on Me is all about: answers that bring a perfect result filled with goodness and grace that are worked out in your life and the lives of those to whom you minister with, in, and through you by My power.
Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. James 1:16-17.
When you have any kind of need or desire, question or verification, it is best to start at the source of all wisdom and of every good thing given and every perfect gift rather than looking for it up every dead end street the worldly minded will come up with that excludes Me. Without Me it will literally be a dead end.
There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death. Proverbs 14:12; Proverbs 16:25.
Today I want to show you the way to cast your cares on Me that will always bring the result of deliverance, provision, and victory. And I am going to take you to an instance of casting your care upon Me in My Word, though there are many more, and if you take into account all those I wish to do in your daily life and the lives of others there are more than all the books in the world could hold. But they are all written out in Heaven in the scroll of each person’s life that I keep. Do not miss one of the mighty works I have for your life.
Let us consider the time that there came an attack of three enemy armies against Jerusalem and the people of Judah when Jehoshaphat was the king of Judah. Jehoshaphat was a descendant of David, the sweet psalmist and shepherd king of Israel, and he had learned from David how to respond. Remember David had praise being lifted up before the Ark of the Covenant 24/7 with the appointed descendants of Levi, that is, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthan. And David knew where to put his attention.
Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the LORD our God, until He is gracious to us. Psalm 123:2.
So let us begin. Pay attention to the lessons in these events that took place for they apply to your life today.
Jehoshaphat was a man after My heart like David had been. He sought Me and was careful to keep My laws as the final Word for the nation.
The LORD was with Jehoshaphat because he followed the example of his father David’s earlier days and did not seek the Baals, but sought the God of his father, followed His commandments, and did not act as Israel did. 2 Chronicles 17:3-4.
He sent out a whole team of Levites and priests to teach in Judah, having the book of the law of the LORD with them; and they went throughout all the cities of Judah and taught among the people. 2 Chronicles 17:9. So when trouble came, the people were prepared.
Seeing the prosperity and peace in Judah under Jehoshaphat, three enemy armies, the sons of Moab and the sons of Ammon, together with some of the Meunites, united with the purpose of attacking and taking the riches, goods and people of Jerusalem and Judah captive.
Please note that just because you are serving Me does not keep Satan from trying to take what is yours and to destroy your good health and prosperity, indeed your very life. His leasehold interest that Adam abdicated to him is not quite over yet, but you can overcome him and keep what has been freely given you through Christ by Me. You are in the world but your source of solutions and supplies is not of this world.
“These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33.
Now it came about as the three united armies approached Jerusalem, some came and reported to Jehoshaphat, saying, “A great multitude is coming against you from beyond the sea, out of Aram and behold, they are in Hazazon-tamar (that is Engedi).” 2 Chronicles 20:1-2.
When he heard the report, Jehoshaphat was afraid BUT he knew what to do. He turned aside from the fear and turned his attention to seek Me and he involved all the people as well. He proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah and called upon the people. So Judah gathered together to seek help from Me; they even came from all the cities of Judah to seek Me. 2 Chronicles 20:3-4. On their own they came to assemble in My house of prayer to seek My deliverance. And hope does not disappoint.
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near. Hebrews 10:23-25.
One can put a thousand to flight, but two can put ten thousand to flight. Where two or more are gathered in My Name I am there in your midst and when you unite as one in Me and with Me in My Word, the impossible takes place.
And then they cast their cares on Me, but not with a fearful, anxious, begging prayer, but in one founded on the promises I made them in Covenant as written in My Word and in their hearts with faith in My favorable answer. They referred to My promises to My friend Abraham in the covenant of giving his descendants that land and to the prayer of Solomon that I answered when he dedicated the very temple in which they were standing where I had put My Name.
Then Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the LORD before the new court, and he said, “O LORD, the God of our fathers, are You not God in the heavens? And are You not ruler over all the kingdoms of the nations? Power and might are in Your hand so that no one can stand against You. Did You not, O our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel and give it to the descendants of Abraham Your friend forever? They have lived in it, and have built You a sanctuary there for Your name, saying, ‘Should evil come upon us, the sword, or judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house and before You (for Your name is in this house) and cry to You in our distress, and You will hear and deliver us.’ Now behold, the sons of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir, whom You did not let Israel invade when they came out of the land of Egypt (they turned aside from them and did not destroy them), see how they are rewarding us by coming to drive us out from Your possession which You have given us as an inheritance. O our God, will You not judge them? For we are powerless before this great multitude who are coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are on You.” 2 Chronicles 20:5-12.
You will note also they left all judgment and vengeance up to Me, all they sought was My Will as expressed to Abraham and to Solomon and their own desire for protection and deliverance. And for the solution, they realized they did not have the answer or strength to fight three powerful well-armed armies but I did. So, for the solution, they put their eyes on Me. For man it seemed impossible but not for those who knew about how I have parted the Red Sea and delivered their ancestors from the army of Pharaoh.
And no one was bowed down begging and crying in fear, all Judah was standing before Me, united and trusting in Me, with their infants, their wives and their children. They were expecting an answer. And they needed it immediately as the danger was eminent.
Let us pause one moment and see how they responded to danger. Because how you respond determines how I can respond to you and also how the devil can respond to you.
At first, they felt fear, but they refused to fear by taking their attention off the threatening danger looming ahead of them that seemed sure to strike and put their attention on Me, the worker of wonders.
You are the God who works wonders; You have made known Your strength among the peoples. Psalm 77:14.
And the LORD said, “Behold, I am making a covenant. Before all your people I will perform wonders that have never been done in any nation in all the world. All the people among whom you live will see the LORD’s work, for it is an awesome thing that I am doing with you. Exodus 34:10.
And then they got into My presence by lifting their minds and hearts to Me, praying according to My Word as they stood their ground with confidence for the answer. But there are three more parts that are needed to complete the casting of their care. They got to a good point, but their enemies were still hanging out there and the people of Judah still had the option of drawing back in fear.
I answered their prayer, but it was first with My Word of direction on what to do. They still needed to be willing and obey with no fear. When you cast your care on Me with no fear or worry, that is faith I can connect with and do wonders, and here was My direction.
Then in the midst of the assembly the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, the Levite of the sons of Asaph; and he said, “Listen, all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: thus says the LORD to you, ‘Do not fear or be dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours but God’s. Tomorrow go down against them. Behold, they will come up by the ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the valley in front of the wilderness of Jeruel. You need not fight in this battle; station yourselves, stand and see the salvation (Yeshuah) of the LORD on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out to face them, for the LORD is with you.” 2 Chronicles 20:14-17.
Here was the Word I gave them. They had a choice. They could put their trust in this prophecy or they could reject it and surrender to the enemies in fear. And that is your choice too when you have a bad report that puts fear in you from the doctor, or from a pending lawsuit, or a threat against you, or even a mess of your life that you have made by sin or unwise decisions, you can choose to believe My good report or the bad report. And what you choose will be what you get, for I cannot connect with you if you shut Me out by no trust and no faith. You recall, I had the promised land all prepared for the first generation out of Egypt to possess but they refused out of doubt and unbelief that My Words would come to pass, and doubt and unbelief produce fear, to enter and take possession of their possessions. People say it is all up to Me and they are waiting on Me, but that is not entirely true. If it were up to Me you would all be saved, healed and prosperous but you are not. So you see it is not just up to Me but it is also up to you. How you respond determines the response you get.
So the next step is casting your care on Me is to put your trust in the Word I give you for the answer. It could be as simple as sharing the small meal you have with a prophet to marching around a walled city for seven days and then giving a huge shout! Or it could meditating on My Word day and night and speaking nothing else but My promises. Or declaring My Word of healing as you reach out to My Spirit to make you whole.
But there is another level you must go to for that promise to quickly come to pass and that is the catalyst of all.
Learn from what Jehoshaphat and his people did, remember they all were being taught the Word. When they heard My Word from the prophet, they worshipped. They responded to that Word in a particular way of showing their faith in worship and in praise and thanksgiving at My Word, sure it would take place though physically it had yet been performed. They rejoiced when as yet no victory had manifested in the flesh, but to them it had already manifested in the spirit.
Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the LORD, worshiping the LORD. The Levites, from the sons of the Kohathites and of the sons of the Korahites, stood up to praise the LORD God of Israel, with a very loud voice. 2 Chronicles 20:18-19.
And here you see the voice of thanksgiving at its finest and the voice of thanksgiving always brings wonders.
And I will go about Your altar, O LORD, that I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving and declare all Your wonders. Psalm 26:6-7.
The “voice of thanksgiving” is the next step to complete casting your care on Me. And you see what they did, just like the leper that returned to Jesus when his leprosy had been arrested by Jesus Word but then when he returned with a mega voice of praise and threw himself in true worship before Jesus he was made whole. Everything restored, body parts, prosperity, provision, and perfect health. All he had lost was paid back seven fold for the thief had been discovered.
Jehoshaphat and his people did likewise, they threw themselves on the ground under the weight of the glory of worship and praised with a “very loud voice.” Happy the people who know the joyful shout.
And then they continued the journey of casting their care on Me by obeying what I had told them to do for the victory. They did not hang back wondering if I really meant for them, who had nowhere near the weapons and numbers of their enemies, to go out and face them. They trusted Me that all they had to do was go out and face them, stand their ground and I would fight for them, for the battle was Mine on their behalf for they had cast their care on Me. They were excited to see My Salvation. And you should be too, for you have seen Him and you know Him. Yeshuah, Jesus.
They rose early in the morning and went out to the wilderness of Tekoa; and when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, O Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, put your trust in the LORD your God and you will be established. Put your trust in His prophets and succeed.” When he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who sang to the LORD and those who praised Him in holy attire, as they went out before the army and said, “Give thanks to the Lord, for His lovingkindness is everlasting.” 2 Chronicles 20:20-21.
And what happened as they, despite what they faced in the natural, turned to Me and sang praises giving thanks and blessing for My care for them? They connected by faith and authorized Me to release My power to work for them.
When they began singing and praising, the LORD set ambushes against the sons of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; so they were routed. For the sons of Ammon and Moab rose up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir destroying them completely; and when they had finished with the inhabitants of Seir, they helped to destroy one another. 2 Chronicles 20:22-23.
When you cry out to Me in faith for justice, I am swift to answer.
Will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” Luke 18:7-8.
Do you see, it is not just crying, it is crying out with faith that brings swift justice. I will do justice, but I am slow to anger, but you can accelerate that.
Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah made a decision to accelerate their miracle. I had only told them to go out and face the enemy and stand their ground, but Jehoshaphat gave a teaching to encourage the people when they all gathered to go out together early the next morning (seek Me early, I had not told them what time to go out but they were eager to do My Will and see the victory manifest), he stated, “Listen to me, O Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, put your trust in the LORD your God and you will be established. Put your trust in His prophets and succeed.” And then he consulted with the people and together they added more to that plan, they added the catalyst of praise and thanksgiving. They treated it like a praise and worship event, like a feast in the temple.
So, Jehoshaphat appointed those who sang to Me in the temple as David had taught them and those who praised Me in holy attire, being the priests, and you are now a kingdom of priests by the blood of Jesus, to go out before the army and singing, “Give thanks to the LORD, for His lovingkindness is everlasting.” 2 Chronicles 20:20-21. And before they even got over the hill to take their stand, the minute they stepped out of the mental arena (3D) to the spirit arena (4D) to worship in Spirit and in truth, I went to work.
When Judah came to the lookout of the wilderness, they looked toward the multitude, and behold, they were corpses lying on the ground, and no one had escaped. When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take their spoil, they found much among them, including goods, garments and valuable things which they took for themselves, more than they could carry. And they were three days taking the spoil because there was so much. 2 Chronicles 20:24-25.
They had thrown the nuclear bomb of praise into the enemy camp and that was the end to their evil plan to destroy My people and take the land I had given them.
From the mouth of infants and nursing babes You have established praise (strength) because of Your adversaries, to make the enemy and the revengeful cease. Psalm 8:2.
And the same is true with you, stand your ground and do not let the devil steal what I have given to you freely, but if you want him out before he can even attack you make your lifestyle one of worship filled with the voice of thanksgiving. I am seeking those who worship in spirit and in truth. And that is exactly why.
And Jehoshaphat and the people did not stop there. They went on to collect all the riches I gave to them when they so willingly obeyed in the face of danger and possible defeat. I reward those who seek Me.
It is the blessing of the LORD that makes rich, and He adds no sorrow to it. Proverbs 10:22.
They were not bashful about taking the spoil, they took it all. And on the fourth day of gathering it they had another praise and worship event and then marched back to Jerusalem singing and shouting all the way and concluded the worship in the temple where their prayer had begun. It matters where you go after your miracle as much as it did before if you want to keep it. For the devil never gives up trying to steal what I have freely given you.
Then on the fourth day they assembled in the valley of Beracah, for there they blessed the LORD. Therefore they have named that place “The Valley of Beracah” until today. Every man of Judah and Jerusalem returned with Jehoshaphat at their head, returning to Jerusalem with joy, for the Lord had made them to rejoice over their enemies. They came to Jerusalem with harps, lyres and trumpets to the house of the Lord. 2 Chronicles 20:26-28.
They renamed that valley from “Achor,” which means trouble, to “Beracah,” which means blessing. And they sang there, as Israel had done when she first left Egypt on the other side of the Red Sea. Exodus 15:1-21. And the valley of trouble became the door of hope. Hosea 2:15.
“Then I will give her her vineyards from there, and the valley of Achor as a door of hope and she will sing there as in the days of her youth, as in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt. Hosea 2:15.
And the final result? I gave them peace, shalom peace, from their enemies on every side. Why? They never stopped praising and offering the blood of the lamb. They knew how to cast the care on Me every time they heard an evil report. How about you?
And the dread of God was on all the kingdoms of the lands when they heard that the LORD had fought against the enemies of Israel. So the kingdom of Jehoshaphat was at peace, for his God gave him rest on all sides. 2 Chronicles 20:29-30.
I love you. You have seen how Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah cast their care on Me because they knew I cared for them. And I care about you. Now go and do the same.