“Drawing Nigh to God”                                 Late Mr. N. Daniel

 

2 Chronicles 20:13

            This was the time of Jehoshaphat, one of the best kings of Judah. He sent round Bible teachers who helped the people to draw nigh to God. Once when the Moabites and Ammonites attacked the kingdom, the king gathered all the people before the Lord. In this retreat we have gathered before the Lord. God never fails. He gave us victory over the powers of darkness. All the people stood before the Lord, from the king to the smallest child. What faith is this! Jehoshaphat was a wonderful king with faith but he made one great mistake which ruined his home. He made a marriage alliance with the wicked king Ahab. Jehoshaphat wanted a king's daughter for his son. It was a false standard. A converted person is the King's son in the sight of God. That false standard ruined him.

            When all the people stood before the Lord, there was a great victory that day. Jehoshaphat gathered all the people before God in the time of a crisis. I feel the church is passing through a crisis. A lukewarmness is spreading. We must all gather together before the Lord. The Lord has been using the Fellowship to check these evils at this time of crisis. The devil is trying to take away from people the fear of God, which is the beginning of faith.  Those who pray will see the hand of God. They will see success. There is a living God.

The whole of Judah - with wives and children and young people - stood before the Lord. To move people to come into the presence of God is not easy. But all of them gathered before God in those days when there were no conveyances.

Every man who talks ill of a man of God will encounter contrary forces in his life. People easily believe evil of children of God and communicate it to others. It is a very dangerous thing. Idolatry is increasing in our land and we have to gather together before God. All the people with wives and little ones stood before God and overcame the army of the enemy. What an event in Judah! We shall overcome too. We shall not let the church go down.