6.14 Prayer, Fasting, Praise, Worship, and Intercession

¹ After this, the Moabites and Ammonites, together with some of the Meunites, came to make war against Jehoshaphat.

² Then some men came and told Jehoshaphat, “A vast army is coming against you from Edom, from beyond the Sea; they are already in Hazazon-tamar” (that is, En-gedi).

³ Jehoshaphat was alarmed and set his face to seek the LORD. And he proclaimed a fast throughout Judah.

⁴ So the people of Judah gathered to seek the LORD, and indeed, they came from all the cities of Judah to seek Him.

⁵ Then Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem in the house of the LORD in front of the new courtyard

⁶ and said, “O LORD, God of our fathers, are You not the God who is in heaven, and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations? Power and might are in Your hand, and no one can stand against You.

⁷ Our God, did You not drive out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham Your friend?

⁸ They have lived in the land and have built in it a sanctuary for Your Name, saying,

⁹ ‘If disaster comes upon us—whether sword or judgment, plague or famine—we will stand before this temple and before You, for Your Name is in this temple. We will cry out to You in our distress, and You will hear us and save us.’

¹⁰ And now, here are the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, whom You did not let Israel invade when they came out of the land of Egypt. So Israel turned away from them and did not destroy them.

¹¹ See how they are repaying us by coming to drive us out of the possession that You gave us as an inheritance.

¹² Our God, will You not judge them? For we are powerless before this vast army that comes against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.”

¹³ Meanwhile all the men of Judah, with their wives and children and little ones, were standing before the LORD.

¹⁴ Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jahaziel son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite from Asaph’s descendants, as he stood in the midst of the assembly.

¹⁵ And he said, “Listen, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Listen, King Jehoshaphat! This is what the LORD says: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army, for the battle does not belong to you, but to God.

¹⁶ Tomorrow you are to march down against them. You will see them coming up the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the valley facing the Wilderness of Jeruel.

¹⁷ You need not fight this battle. Take up your positions, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or discouraged. Go out and face them tomorrow, for the LORD is with you.’”

¹⁸ Then Jehoshaphat bowed facedown, and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down before the LORD to worship Him.

¹⁹ And the Levites from the Kohathites and Korahites stood up to praise the LORD, the God of Israel, shouting in a very loud voice.

²⁰ Early in the morning they got up and left for the Wilderness of Tekoa. As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood up and said, “Hear me, O people of Judah and Jerusalem. Believe in the LORD your God, and you will be upheld; believe in His prophets, and you will succeed.”

²¹ Then Jehoshaphat consulted with the people and appointed those who would sing to the LORD and praise the splendor of His holiness. As they went out before the army, they were singing: “Give thanks to the LORD, for His loving devotion endures forever.”

²² The moment they began their shouts and praises, the LORD set ambushes against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir who had come against Judah, and they were defeated.

²³ The Ammonites and Moabites rose up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, devoting them to destruction. And when they had finished off the inhabitants of Seir, they helped to destroy one another.

²⁴ When the men of Judah came to a place overlooking the wilderness, they looked for the vast army, but there were only corpses lying on the ground; no one had escaped.

²⁵ Then Jehoshaphat and his people went to carry off the plunder, and they found on the bodies an abundance of goods and valuables—more than they could carry away. They were gathering the plunder for three days because there was so much.

²⁶ On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Beracah, where they blessed the LORD. Therefore that place is called the Valley of Beracah to this day.

²⁷ Then all the men of Judah and Jerusalem, with Jehoshaphat at their head, returned joyfully to Jerusalem, for the LORD had made them rejoice over their enemies.

²⁸ So they entered Jerusalem and went into the house of the LORD with harps, lyres, and trumpets.

²⁹ And the fear of God came upon all the kingdoms of the lands when they heard that the LORD had fought against the enemies of Israel.

³⁰ Then Jehoshaphat’s kingdom was at peace, for his God had given him rest on every side.

¹ Of David, when he pretended to be insane before Abimelech, so that the king drove him away. I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise will always be on my lips.

² My soul boasts in the LORD; let the oppressed hear and rejoice.

³ Magnify the LORD with me; let us exalt His name together.

⁴ I sought the LORD, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears.

⁵ Those who look to Him are radiant with joy; their faces shall never be ashamed.

⁶ This poor man called out, and the LORD heard him; He saved him from all his troubles.

⁷ The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him, and he delivers them.

¹ For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. A song. God arises. His enemies are scattered, and those who hate Him flee His presence.

² As smoke is blown away, You will drive them out; as wax melts before the fire, the wicked will perish in the presence of God.

³ But the righteous will be glad and rejoice before God; they will celebrate with joy.

⁴ Sing to God! Sing praises to His name. Exalt Him who rides on the clouds—His name is the LORD—and rejoice before Him.

⁵ A father of the fatherless and a defender of widows is God in His holy habitation.

⁶ God settles the lonely in families; He leads the prisoners out to prosperity, but the rebellious dwell in a sun-scorched land.

¹ A Psalm of thanksgiving. Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth.

² Serve the LORD with gladness; come into His presence with joyful songs.

³ Know that the LORD is God. It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

⁴ Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and bless His name.

⁵ For the LORD is good, and His loving devotion endures forever; His faithfulness continues to all generations.

¹ Hallelujah! Sing to the LORD a new song—His praise in the assembly of the godly.

² Let Israel rejoice in their Maker; let the children of Zion rejoice in their King.

³ Let them praise His name with dancing, and make music to Him with tambourine and harp.

⁴ For the LORD takes pleasure in His people; He adorns the afflicted with salvation.

⁵ Let the saints exult in glory; let them shout for joy upon their beds.

⁶ May the high praises of God be in their mouths, and a double-edged sword in their hands,

⁷ to inflict vengeance on the nations and punishment on the peoples,

⁸ to bind their kings with chains and their nobles with shackles of iron,

⁹ to execute the judgment written against them. This honor is for all His saints. Hallelujah!

⁶ Isn’t this the fast that I have chosen: to break the chains of wickedness, to untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and tear off every yoke?

⁷ Isn’t it to share your bread with the hungry, to bring the poor and homeless into your home, to clothe the naked when you see him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

⁸ Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will come quickly. Your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.

⁹ Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry out, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you remove the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger and malicious talk,

¹⁰ and if you give yourself to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul, then your light will go forth in the darkness, and your night will be like noonday.

¹¹ The LORD will always guide you; He will satisfy you in a sun-scorched land and strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.

¹² Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins; you will restore the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of the Breach, Restorer of the Streets of Dwelling.

⁵ And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. Truly I tell you, they already have their full reward.

⁶ But when you pray, go into your inner room, shut your door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

⁷ And when you pray, do not babble on like pagans, for they think that by their many words they will be heard.

⁸ Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.

⁹ So then, this is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.

¹⁰ Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

¹¹ Give us this day our daily bread.

¹² And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

¹³ And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’

¹⁴ For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

¹⁵ But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive yours.

¹⁶ When you fast, do not be somber like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they already have their full reward.

¹⁷ But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,

¹⁸ so that your fasting will not be obvious to men, but only to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

¹ Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray at all times and not lose heart:

² “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected men.

³ And there was a widow in that town who kept appealing to him, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’

⁴ For a while he refused, but later he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect men,

⁵ yet because this widow keeps pestering me, I will give her justice. Otherwise, she will wear me out with her perpetual requests.’”

⁶ And the Lord said, “Listen to the words of the unjust judge.

⁷ Will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry out to Him day and night? Will He delay in helping them?

⁸ I tell you, He will promptly carry out justice on their behalf. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?”

²³ On their release, Peter and John returned to their own people and reported everything that the chief priests and elders had said to them.

²⁴ When the believers heard this, they lifted up their voices to God with one accord. “Sovereign Lord,” they said, “You made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them.

²⁵ You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of Your servant, our father David: ‘Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?

²⁶ The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against His Anointed One.’

²⁷ In fact, this is the very city where Herod and Pontius Pilate conspired with the Gentiles and the people of Israel against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed.

²⁸ They carried out what Your hand and will had decided beforehand would happen.

²⁹ And now, Lord, consider their threats, and enable Your servants to speak Your word with complete boldness,

³⁰ as You stretch out Your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of Your holy servant Jesus.”

³¹ After they had prayed, their meeting place was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.

⁵ So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was fervently praying to God for him.

⁶ On the night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, with sentries standing guard at the entrance to the prison.

⁷ Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He tapped Peter on the side and woke him up, saying, “Get up quickly.” And the chains fell off his wrists.

⁸ “Get dressed and put on your sandals,” said the angel. Peter did so, and the angel told him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.”

⁹ So Peter followed him out, but he was unaware that what the angel was doing was real. He thought he was only seeing a vision.

¹⁰ They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city, which opened for them by itself. When they had gone outside and walked the length of one block, the angel suddenly left him.

¹¹ Then Peter came to himself and said, “Now I know for sure that the Lord has sent His angel and rescued me from Herod’s grasp and from everything the Jewish people were anticipating.”

¹² And when he had realized this, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered together and were praying.

¹³ He knocked at the outer gate, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer it.

¹⁴ When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed that she forgot to open the gate, but ran inside and announced, “Peter is standing at the gate!”

¹⁵ “You are out of your mind,” they told her. But when she kept insisting it was so, they said, “It must be his angel.”

¹⁶ But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astounded.

¹⁷ Peter motioned with his hand for silence, and he described how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. “Send word to James and to the brothers,” he said, and he left for another place.

¹ Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch), and Saul.

² While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”

³ And after they had fasted and prayed, they laid their hands on them and sent them off.

²² The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered that they be stripped and beaten with rods.

²³ And after striking them with many blows, they threw them into prison and ordered the jailer to guard them securely.

²⁴ On receiving this order, he placed them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.

²⁵ About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.

²⁶ Suddenly a strong earthquake shook the foundations of the prison. At once all the doors flew open and everyone’s chains came loose.

¹⁸ Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to reckless indiscretion. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.

¹⁹ Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your hearts to the Lord,

²⁰ always giving thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

⁶ Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

⁷ And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

² Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful,

³ as you pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.

⁴ Pray that I may declare it clearly, as I should.

²⁰ But you, beloved, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit,

²¹ keep yourselves in the love of God as you await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you eternal life.