Living Outloud: Praying in the Face of Fear
Some problems outgrow your strength. You feel it in your chest before you can name it—when the diagnosis lands, when the budget won’t stretch, when a relationship hits a wall you can’t move. Fear isn’t a failure of faith; it’s a human response to being outmatched.
That’s exactly where Jehoshaphat stands in 2 Chronicles 20, and his response gives us a pattern that still works when life feels too big. It’s not a formula for quick fixes. It’s a way of moving with God when you don’t know what to do next.
Let’s walk it out.
1. Start With Who God Is (v. 6)
Prayer Move: Re-anchor your mind in God’s character before naming the threat.
Pray something like:
“God, You are the ruler over all kingdoms. Power and might are in Your hand. Nothing can withstand You.”
Why it matters:
You shrink the problem by enlarging your awareness of God.
2. Remember What God Has Done (vv. 7–9)
Prayer Move: Rehearse His past faithfulness—personally, biblically, historically.
Pray something like:
“You have been faithful to Your people. You have rescued before. You have kept Your promises. You have been faithful to me in ______.”
Why it matters:
Memory becomes fuel for trust.
3. Name the Threat Honestly (vv. 10–11)
Prayer Move: Don’t sanitize it. Don’t minimize it. Say what’s coming against you.
Pray something like:
“Here is what is threatening me, Lord: ______. It is bigger than me. It is beyond my strength.”
Why it matters:
Honesty is not unbelief. It’s alignment.
4. Confess Your Limits (v. 12)
This is the hinge of the whole chapter.
Pray something like:
“I do not know what to do. I don’t have the strength, the strategy, or the clarity. But my eyes are on You.”
Why it matters:
God fills the space you refuse to pretend to occupy.
5. Wait for God’s Word (vv. 13–17)
Prayer Move: Pause long enough to let God speak—through Scripture, stillness, or wise counsel.
Pray something like:
“Speak, Lord. I’m listening. Tell me how to stand, where to go, and what to believe.”
Why it matters:
Jehoshaphat didn’t move until God spoke. Neither should we.
6. Receive God’s Perspective (v. 15)
Prayer Move: Let God redefine the situation.
Pray something like:
“This battle is not mine—it is Yours. You will fight for me. You will go before me.”
Why it matters:
The threat may not change, but your posture does.
7. Obey the Next Step (v. 17)
Prayer Move: Do the one thing God tells you, even if it feels small or strange.
Pray something like:
“Show me the next faithful step. I will stand where You tell me to stand.”
Why it matters:
Victory often begins with obedience before evidence.
8. Worship Before the Outcome (vv. 18–19, 21)
Prayer Move: Praise becomes your battle stance.
Pray something like:
“I praise You for who You are, not just what You will do. I worship You before I see the victory.”
Why it matters:
Worship is warfare. It destabilizes fear.
9. Watch God Work (vv. 22–25)
Prayer Move: Stay attentive to how God moves—often in ways you didn’t expect.
Pray something like:
“Lord, I’m watching for Your deliverance. I trust You to act in Your way and Your timing.”
Why it matters:
You learn to recognize God’s fingerprints.
10. Return to Gratitude (vv. 26–28)
Prayer Move: Mark the moment. Build a memory.
Pray something like:
“Thank You for Your rescue. Thank You for Your faithfulness. I will remember this day.”
Why it matters:
Gratitude seals the victory into your story.
The Stance You Can Always Take
You may not control the size of the threat, but you can choose your posture:
Declare
Remember.
Name the threat.
Confess your limits.
Wait.
Receive.
Obey.
Worship.
Watch.
Mark the moment.
This is how you stand when the battle isn’t yours.
This is how you stay steady when the problem is bigger than you.
This is how you let God work.
