Article April 17, 1948 Issue

TRANQUILLITY IN PRAYER

GREGORY S. VOJAE

In the twentieth chapter of II Chronicles we find Jehoshaphat and the children of Judah in a very serious predicament, about to be attacked by the people of Moab, Ammon, and mount Seir. In this crisis a fast was proclaimed to seek God's help, and Jehoshaphat led the children of Judah in prayer. Through Jahaziel this seemingly strange message came to them: "Thus saith the Lord unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's. ... Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord with you."

It must have seemed a strange battle order to "stand ... still, and see the salvation of the Lord." Jehoshaphat, however, was a faithful follower of God, and he exhorted his people to believe in God and in the voice of His prophet. With the people's consent he "appointed singers unto the Lord" to go out before the army. We read (verse 22), "When they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir," and they smote each other. "Stand ye still," was the command to Judah, and while they remained still and praised God, the forces of evil destroyed themselves.

The quality of being still in the sense of being quiet, calm, and tranquil is important to cultivate in prayer. If we entertain a sense of confusion and fear, how can we expect to recognize and be conscious of God's presence? While rushing smartly about trying to accomplish material tasks, how can we "see the salvation of the Lord"? No one better understood and exemplified in his daily life the importance of quiet prayer than the Master, Christ Jesus. Frequently he would slip away from the crowds to commune with his Father. When the Bible states, "He departed ... into a mountain himself alone" (John 6:15), we may believe that he did this because he knew the need of being still and seeing God's salvation. And he left this instruction for us (Matt. 6:6): "But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly."

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