BAHALA KA NA, LORD

“Rejoice in the Lord always!” Paul says in Phil 4.    He further encourages them by saying “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” 

The other night, I was speaking to my brothers and sisters in our District in Ligaya, and I summarized what those who spoke ahead of me were saying.  I said, “Grabe, parang hindi tayo nauubusan ng mga serious problems, ano?” 

And isn’t that the truth?  We read about it in the news, and in social media.  We experience it in our personal circumstance, we would hear about it among others who are near and dear to us.  Petitions for prayers pop up on a daily basis in our viber group chats.  We can’t ignore these problems of others, even as we ourselves have to deal with our own.  And, sorry to be a wet blanket, but for those of you reading this who may not be undergoing any serious challenges today, praise God for you.  But, sadly, Jesus Himself declares it for all:  “In this world, you will have trouble.” (John 16:33)

And yet, we are exhorted to “Rejoice … in every situation … and present our requests to God in prayer and petition.”

This we should do.  But it’s easier said than done.  Is there a way we can present our requests (with thanksgiving) in prayer so that we can achieve peace, and be able to rejoice? 

I believe there is.  I’m inspired to share something I learned from Pastor Rick Sarthou (CCF) during one of the retreats that he facilitated for us several years ago.  My prayer with this blog post is that you are encouraged to present your prayers and petitions in such a way that will hopefully bring “peace beyond understanding” even in the midst of the challenges that you face.

DESPERATE TIMES

The story of how God rescued the Israelites from imminent invasion by three very large allied armies is one of the many awesome testimonies of God’s mighty hand at work to protect His people.  This happened during the time of good King Jehoshaphat, and it is found in 2 Chron 20.    It was an awesome victory where the Lord delivered Judah’s enemies without the Israelites even engaging in direct battle at all.  You can view a beautiful narration of this outstanding biblical story in “Jehoshaphat’s Victory”

What is most interesting about this story is the prayer that King Jehoshaphat recited to God immediately after learning that these three armies were already positioned to encircle Jerusalem poised to attack. He was desperate because there was very little he good to defend the city.  A quick study of how his prayer is composed will teach us a powerful way to articulate our very own prayers for help from our God almighty.  Whether we are interceding for others, or needing God’s help for our own selves, this prayer teaches us how to pray with complete trust in the Lord even in the most desperate of circumstances. 

JEHOSHAPHAT’S BAHALA NA PRAYER

2 Chron 20: 6-12  NIV

“Lord, the God of our ancestors, are you not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand 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 it and have built in it a sanctuary for your Name, saying,⁹ ‘If calamity comes upon us, whether the sword of judgment, or plague or famine, we will stand in your presence before this temple that bears your Name and will cry out to you in our distress, and you will hear us and save us.’

¹⁰ “But now here are men from Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, whose territory you would not allow Israel to invade when they came from Egypt; so they 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 you gave us as an inheritance. ¹² Our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”

If you read through the rest of the chapter (2 Chron 20), you will know that after reciting this prayer, a prophet spoke to Jehoshaphat some instruction and encouragement from the Lord: “Do not be afraid, for the battle is not yours but God’s”. As God had instructed, Jehoshaphat prepared his troops to face the enemy. And on the day of the supposed battle, as the Israelites marched to face the enemy while singing and praising the Lord, they found all their enemies lying died in the battlefield. God had caused them to fight amongst each other and destroy each other completely the night before the Israelites arrived. This was God’s answer to Jehoshaphat’s prayer.

There are actually six simple but vital parts of Jehoshaphat’s Bahala Na Prayer.  It is the combination and the sequence of these statements that make this prayer a complete “formulation” of a prayer that honors a trustworthy God to come to our aid. 

Why not try to compose your intercessory prayers in this way?

Your Own “Bahala Ka Na” Prayer Proceed to this link to continue to study what these 6 parts are, so that you can learn how to compose your own prayer petition following the pattern of Jehoshaphat’s powerful “Bahala Ka Na, Lord” prayer.