Benaiah stood close to his father. He clutched his harp with sweaty, shaking hands. Swallowing hard, he tried to recall the words spoken by Jahaziel as the spirit of God came upon him. He had said, “Do not be afraid nor be dismayed because of the great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord” (2 Chron. 20:15, 17).

A terrifying turn of events had left Benaiah anxiously clinging to these comforting words. The people had decided to send singers to the front lines of battle! Being a Levite and musically gifted, he had been asked to join them. He squeezed his father’s shoulder. “Today, we will see the salvation of the Lord,” he whispered. Suddenly, he was filled with overwhelming joy ready to spill out into songs of praise to God. That day as he came face to face with the darkness of hatred, a song burst forth from his lips, and his words mingled with the praises of hundreds of others: “Praise the Lord, for His mercy endures forever” (2 Chron. 20:21). No sooner had the praises begun than the Lord set an ambush for the enemy and defeated them.

As we have entered our battlefield and faced the enemy, we have felt his attack. We have been tempted to be anxious and worry. We have wondered why God would leave our house unsold for so long. In our plans, the house should have been sold long ago and we should be launching in two weeks. But we rejoice. And as we rejoice, our enemy is defeated! We have reason to rejoice. God is answering our prayers to prepare us for the challenges ahead. He is stretching our faith.

One thing from training that John Kent drilled into our minds was the phrase, “I refuse to be denied the privilege.” That’s what he told himself in PNG when he was bug-bitten, sunburned, and aching with malaria. So, John, for the record, we refuse to be denied the privilege of waiting on the Lord!

• Twitter