We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you. – 2 Chronicles 20:12c

I stumbled across 2 Chronicles 20 about a month ago. It describes the Moabites and Ammonites coming to wage war against Jehoshaphat and the people of God. With a vast, enemy army at his doorstep, Jehoshaphat calls his people to fast and seek the Lord. 2 Chronicles 20:6-12 provides the words of a Jehoshaphat prayer which ends, “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”

This phrase has reverberated in my heart and mind since I read it. The sentiment is powerful … and it even rhymes.

A passage stuck on rewind in my mind frequently leads to something. I can’t get it unstuck until it becomes a Bible study, sermon series, or I share it with enough people.

I used 2 Chronicles 20 as a devotional during a staff meeting. I read it during a deacon meeting. I referenced it during the prayer time of a Sunday evening service and encouraged our people to read the entirety of the passage.

Within two days of that Sunday evening service, I received notes of appreciation for sharing the passage. I also started to receive pictures from congregation members who had the passage underlined in their Bible and even some marginal notes. I’m always fond of receiving such feedback. I truly love seeing the pages of well-read and well-marked Bibles. Yet, in this instance, I was a little perturbed. I thought, “How does everyone have this passage marked!” I own dozens of well-used Bibles but you will not find 2 Chronicles 20:12 marked in any of them.

Then I bumped into a church member who provided the clue to the mystery.

It turns out that one of my predecessors at First Baptist Sulphur Springs, Dr. David Hardage, preached from 2 Chronicles 20 in the days after the tragedy of September 11, 2001.