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Trusting God When You Don’t Know What to Do
Recently, I found myself wrestling with a familiar phrase: “the battle belongs to the Lord.” It is one of those truths we often repeat because it sounds comforting—and it is comforting. But as I sat with 2 Chronicles 20, I realized the passage says something even more personal and challenging: “the battle is not yours but God’s.”
That distinction matters to me because I am quick to carry what God never asked me to carry. I assume responsibility for outcomes, relationships, responses, opportunities, and open doors. I pray, but then I still try to manage the victory. Jehoshaphat’s story reminds me that trusting God does not mean doing nothing. It means obeying faithfully while releasing the outcome to Him.
What 2 Chronicles 20 Teaches About Fear, Obedience, and Trust
Jehoshaphat was a king who genuinely desired to honor the Lord, but his life also shows the danger of relying on human wisdom instead of seeking God first. Earlier, he formed an alliance with Ahab, a king who had rejected the ways of the Lord. That decision nearly cost Jehoshaphat his life and eventually affected his family and nation in painful ways.
His story is not a call to isolation. It is a call to discernment. I am still called to love people, serve people, and point people toward Christ. But I also need to ask honest questions: Is this relationship drawing me toward obedience, or slowly reshaping my priorities? Am I influencing others toward Christ, or am I being pulled away from wholehearted devotion to Him?
Jehoshaphat’s Crisis and the Prayer That Changes Everything
In 2 Chronicles 20, Jehoshaphat faces a real crisis. A vast army is coming against Judah, and Scripture does not hide his fear. It simply says he was afraid. But instead of running first to strategy, alliances, or self-protection, Jehoshaphat turns his attention to the Lord.
His prayer is honest and full of faith: “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on You.” That sentence has stayed with me. It is not only a prayer for emergency moments. It is a daily confession. Lord, I do not know what to do in my own wisdom. I need You. My eyes are on You.
The Battle Is Not Yours: Releasing Outcomes to God
When God answers through Jahaziel, He says, “Do not be afraid… for the battle is not yours but God’s.” That does not mean Judah has no responsibility. God still tells them to go out, take their position, stand firm, and watch what He will do.
That helps me understand what trust really looks like. Trust is not passivity. It is obedience without control. It is forgiving even if reconciliation does not happen. It is speaking truth even when it costs something. It is praying when the answer is delayed. It is remaining faithful when the outcome is not what I would have chosen.
The battle is not mine because the outcome is not mine to secure. My responsibility is obedience. God’s responsibility is the victory.
Worship Before Victory: Standing Firm While God Works
One of the most beautiful parts of this story is that Judah worships before the victory is visible. Before the enemy falls, they praise the Lord and declare, “Give thanks to the Lord, for His steadfast love endures forever.”
That challenges me. I often want proof before praise. I want evidence that God is moving before I rest. But worship before victory reminds me that God’s faithfulness is not dependent on what I can see. I can stand firm because His character is steady, even when my circumstances are not.
A Daily Prayer: “We Do Not Know What to Do, But Our Eyes Are on You”
I do not want to wait until life is falling apart to admit I need the Lord. The invading armies in Jehoshaphat’s life simply exposed what had always been true: he had always needed God. And so do I.
The battle belongs to the Lord because my life belongs to the Lord—my schedule, my relationships, my fears, my calling, and my future. So today, my prayer is simple: I do not know what to do, but my eyes are on You.
May we take the place God assigns, obey what He commands, worship while we wait, and trust Him to accomplish what only He can do.
Thank you for this redirection, because like you – I assume responsibility for outcomes, relationships, responses, opportunities, and open doors. I am praying this prayer this morning -I do not know what to do, but my eyes are on You. Also I am sharing your message to family and friends, I’m a competitive person so I want you to get to the 10,000 followers.
Julie, what an encouraging word this morning!
I have been down a bit, my heart has hurt for Will and his family fighting cancer in CA, Samaritan’s Purse as they are disbursed around the world helping those in desperate need, the people of Africa fighting bola, the people of Venezuela 😢 my own family. I have a huge heart of compassion and I pray but sometimes it gets very personal, you know what I mean…today the battle is the Lord’s…I cannot it has sucked my joy clean from me as I have just poured out my heart…it hurts everytime I see those clips….I cannot do anything but pray, but God is so much bigger…the battle is his. This is a reminder today for me to stop carrying what wasnt meant for me. Pray, trust, wait on the Lord. He sees it all.
Thanks Julie!!!
Bonnie Geer Sutton
From Alabama
Julie, I love your podcast today. I love your words The battle belongs to the Lord and I don’t know what to do but my eyes are on you. Lord let that be true in my life as I pray that every morning.