I was trying to find Dora this morning for Sam to watch and ended up catching about the last minute of Beth Moore. About all I heard was the "Valley of Beracah." Frustrated that I missed the teaching and the reference, I was determined to figure out what this valley was all about. After googling "Barraca, Baracca, Baraka, etc.", I finally came across "beracah." It is found in 2 Chronicles, Chapter 20. What a powerful story!
King Jehoshaphat calls on the Lord to save them from sure destruction from their enemies. The Israelites fasted. They had no power to face the vast army. The Spirit of the Lord spoke through Jahaziel and said, "Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God's...you will not have to fight this battle...take your positions, stand firm, and SEE the deliverance the Lord will GIVE you....Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful." Then the king appointed men to sing and praise God for the splendor of His Holiness. This part is great..."As they began to SING and PRAISE, the LORD set ambushes against their enemies. (Of course, they were defeated.) The Israelites carried off the plunder...it took them 3 whole days to gather everything up. On the 4th day, they assembled in the Valley of Beracah, where they PRAISED the Lord. And I love this part...the Kingdom of Jehoshaphat was at peace, for his God had given him REST on every side.
The best part is that "Beracah" means "blessing." What if I had the sense to acknowledge that the battle belongs to the Lord? What if ALL I did was sing and praise? It seems like to me that VICTORY comes in this way! Blessing and rest comes this way! I think the Valley of Beracah is just the place to be!
Matthew Henry in his commentary puts it like this: "If we meet with trouble in the way of duty, we may believe it is that God may have an opportunity of showing so much the MORE of his marvelous Loving-Kindness."
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2 comments:
Beth Moore doesn't have anything on you Becke. You have been laying out some good stuff. Thanks for sharing and encouraging those of us who struggle from time to time.
Becke, what a blessing you are. This is definitely the word from the Lord that I needed tonight. Abby's insurance has denied her hospital stay in Dec. $20,000 bill. The battle is the Lord's! Thank you for being His messenger.
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