We know not what to do, but our eyes are upon thee
An overwhelming coalition threatens Judah. Jehoshaphat responds with fear, fasting and prayer, grounding his appeal in God’s sovereignty, covenant and earlier sanctuary promise. God answers that the battle is His, yet Judah is still told to go out and stand in faith.
1. Fear can become the beginning of seeking
Jehoshaphat fears and sets himself to seek the LORD. (2 Chronicles 20:3).
2. Bring the community together in serious prayer
Judah gathers with families and children.
3. Prayer should remember who God is before rehearsing the threat
Jehoshaphat begins with divine rule and power.
4. Remember covenant promises in crisis
He appeals to God’s gift of the land to Abraham’s seed.
5. Confess helplessness honestly
“We have no might against this great company.” (2 Chronicles 20:12).
6. Helplessness is not passivity
The people still gather, listen and later go out.
7. The heart of the prayer is attention
“Neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee.”
8. A specific prophetic promise must stay specific
“The battle is not yours, but God’s” belongs to this revealed crisis.
9. God’s promise does not remove obedient action
Judah must go down, set itself and stand. (2 Chronicles 20:16-17).
10. Praise can precede visible deliverance
Singers go before the army praising God’s enduring mercy.
11. Do not invent the mechanism of the ‘ambushments’
The text explains the enemy coalition turns against itself.
12. Memorialise blessing after deliverance
The valley is named Berachah. (2 Chronicles 20:26).
13. Repeated grace does not automatically cure poor judgment
Jehoshaphat later repeats alliance weakness with Ahaziah.
14. A good life can contain recurring blind spots
Past lessons need deliberate application to new situations.
15. Keep eyes on God when no human answer is obvious
That is the enduring practical centre of the chapter.
Closing thought
2 Chronicles 20 gives words for moments when we genuinely do not know what to do. Faith is not pretending to know—it is turning our eyes toward God and obeying the word He has actually given.
Practical Readings — 2 CHRONICLES 20