Stand Still: The Closest I Have to a “Life Verse”

I don’t do well with choosing favorites - songs, movies, foods, etc. There are just so many possibilities I can never narrow it down to one. And Bible verses are no different. 

There is one, though, that I always come back to. I hesitate to call it a “life verse” because it really doesn’t apply to all of life (I’ll come back to why.) And somehow I can forget it even exists for years, until I need it. 

I’ll stumble across the little scrap of red paper I saved from the memory verse sheet at camp, or I’ll be reading through the Bible and get to this passage at exactly the right time, or I’ll be feeling at a loss for what to do and suddenly remember that I don’t necessarily have to do anything.  

The verse is 2 Chronicles 20:17: 

“You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the LORD, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the LORD is with you.” 

The verse is great on its own, but the story that goes with it is one of my favorite obscure Old Testament stories. It’s right in the middle of 2 Chronicles, which means it’s in the middle of seemingly endless pages of kings making bad choices.

(Like worshiping idols, or giving their sons names that make them barely distinguishable from the evil king in the last chapter.) 

And as a consequence (of worshiping idols, not choosing unoriginal names) they get attacked by their enemies, try to fight them in every way besides asking God for help, and end up under the thumb of some other nation.

In this chapter, though, the story goes a little different. The enemies come and Jehoshaphat gathers all the people of Judah together to seek the Lord and ask for his help.

Jehoshaphat offers a prayer reminding God of his promise to save his people, then ends with “we do not know what to do, but our eyes are on You.” 

God answers through a prophet and tells them that they will not need to fight; just go out and see the salvation of the Lord. They obey, praising God as they head out to meet their enemies. 

When they get to the battlefield, they find that the armies who had come against them had turned on each other and killed each other. There was no battle left to fight. 

Here is why I say 2 Chronicles 20:17 is not for all of life: sometimes God does ask us to fight. 

So many times throughout the Old Testament, he helps his people by giving them victory in battle instead of by fighting the battle for them. So we can’t just slap this verse on every battle we face without considering the situation and listening to the Holy Spirit. 

But with that caveat, there’s still so much in this story that does apply to all of life. 

It is always good to call on the Lord when you see an enemy you can’t face on your own. 

It is always good to recite what he’s already done for his people.

It is always good to turn your eyes to him when you don’t know what to do.  

It is always good to remind your fears that the Lord is with you. 

It is always good to face your enemies with the praises of God in your mouth and heart.

And it is always good to at least stop and consider whether you’re supposed to fight a battle, or stand still and see his salvation. He will either give you strength for the battle or peace to stand still.