Companions in the trench

When the king of Judah discovered that a powerful army was coming against him, he immediately turned to Jehovah in prayer and presented his case before Him. Jehoshaphat's decision to humble himself and seek wisdom from God is inspiring and exemplary. But his search for divine help does not stop there. We are told in II Chronicles 20: 3 that, additionally, Jehoshaphat "made all Judah proclaim fasting." In a theocratic culture like Judah, the king functioned not only as a political leader, but also as a spiritual head.

Jehoshaphat possessed the authority to summon all the people to cry out and fast, and he did not hesitate to use it. He involved the entire nation in appealing to Jehovah for a miraculous intervention. The writer provides more detail, adding: “And those of Judah gathered to ask Jehovah for help; and also from all the cities of Judah they came to ask Jehovah for help.

What principle do we see here? Prayer, yes, but perhaps more importantly, we see a third very significant principle: prayer in community. In prayer, the more committed people we have in the trench with us, the more powerful and effective we can be. The Lord Jesus Christ declared: "Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the midst of them." He also said, "If two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father who is in heaven" (Mat 18:19, 20).

Through these images of plurality, the Lord wanted to underline the power that exists in unity, in the spiritual agreement between believers.

I believe in individual prayer, and I have always made it clear that corporate prayer is not a substitute for private prayer. But, beloved brother, there are situations in which you have to find yourself a friend, a partner in the trenches, and say, “Look, help me to pray because what I have ahead of me is so difficult and so great, that praying alone, the only thing I am going to to achieve is to decay in my spirit ”.

When we tie ourselves to two or three prayer partners, it gives us encouragement to keep going. So, pray with other brothers! Find yourself people of faith to fight life's battles together. Live life in community with believers of equal conviction.

Don't try to fight the battle alone. Don't be like Elijah, who when the diabolical attack came, went alone to the desert, fell into a deep depression, and ended up wishing for death. Because when we isolate ourselves and abandon the community of faith around us, the devil can deliver the final blow to us much more easily.

Join people of faith to more effectively undertake the race of faith. Join your little spark of faith with that of your brothers, and together build a great bonfire that will catch the eye of heaven!