Have you ever wondered how places get their names? That question entered into my mind when I learned about the two towns of „Elend“ (misery) and „Sorge“ (worry) in Saxony-Anhalt, as well as „Sorgenlos“ (worry free) in northeastern Germany. I set out to find some interesting background information and discovered only that the origins are mostly Old High German words that have nothing in common with the modern meanings of today. There was no “misery” (Elend) or “worry” (Sorge) that gave these places their names.
The situation is quite different with the town of Emek-Beracha, which is called “Valley of Blessing”. We find a reliable source for the background of its name in 2 Chronicles 20:26 (NLT): “On the fourth day they gathered in the Valley of Blessing, which got its name that day because the people praised and thanked the Lord there. It is still called the Valley of Blessing today.”
This naming comes at the end of a story that begins on a far from hopeful note. King Jehoshaphat receives word that a great army is marching against Judah. The Moabites, the Ammonites, and men from Mount Seir have formed an alliance. The enemy outnumbers them and is already dangerously close. Jehoshaphat, a King who sought the Lord and did what pleased Him, is subsequently described as being afraid.
That is a comforting truth. Faith does not imply remaining untouched by bad news. Even someone who walks with God can reach a point where their own strength is no longer enough and no way out is in sight.
We’re all familiar with situations like these. A diagnosis turns life upside down. A job is lost. A relationship falls apart. Financial worries make it hard to breathe. A burden becomes so heavy that you lie awake at night and can barely think clearly during the day.
Jehoshaphat does not pretend that everything is fine. He does not downplay the danger or hide behind religious platitudes. Instead, the Bible tells us: “Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah” (verse 3). His fear drives him toward God.
The people gather in Jerusalem, and together they seek the Lord. In prayer, the king reminds God of His power, His faithfulness in the past, and His promises. He takes God at His word. The present crisis will not have the final say in what he expects from God. In his prayer, he confesses: “We have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You” (verse 12).
The external situation has not yet changed. The enemy army is still there. But their focus shifts away from their own powerlessness, toward the One who can help. In difficult times, our thoughts can easily become fixated on the problem. We weigh our options and wonder what might happen next. But at some point, we reach the limits of what we can comprehend and influence. Then the crucial question arises: Where are our eyes focused? The hardship is real—but so is God. Our strength may be exhausted, but His power is not. We may not see a way out, but God has not lost sight of the big picture. His faithfulness does not depend on whether we feel it at the moment.
In response to the people’s prayer, God speaks through a prophet: “Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s” (verse 15). Nevertheless, Jehoshaphat and his men are to set out the next morning and march to meet the enemy. God’s promise does not spare them the journey into the desert, but it changes how they make that journey. It is not their military strength that will determine the outcome, but God’s intervention. “Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you“ is His promise (verse 17a). Their faith must now be put to the test in reality.
The next morning, Jehoshaphat calls out to the people: “Believe in the Lord your God, and you shall be established” (verse 20). After that, he makes an astonishing decision. He places singers at the head of the armed army. Leading the procession are not the strongest warriors, but people singing, “Praise the Lord, for His mercy endures forever”(verse 21)!
What is striking is this: This thanksgiving is not looking back on a success that has already been achieved. They have not yet seen victory. They are not giving thanks because the situation has become harmless, but because God is good. Their hope does not rest on what lies before their eyes, but on God’s nature and His Word. Giving thanks does not mean denying reality. It means not reducing it to what is visible.
True gratitude does not stop at the gift but seeks out the Giver. It says not only, “Thank you that everything turned out well,” but also, “Lord, I thank you because you are good, faithful, and mighty—even if I do not yet know how everything will turn out.”
Then the story tells us what effect the singers’ thanksgiving had. We read: “Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated” (verse 22). When Jehoshaphat and his army reached the vantage point, the battle had already been decided. Judah did not fight its way to victory. God granted it.
Now, Jehoshaphat’s story certainly does not promise us a life free of problems. Nor does it mean that the Lord will resolve all our troubles in the manner described above. However, it shows what happens when people, in the midst of their helplessness, seek God, believe His Word, and give Him thanks: They give God the place that is rightfully His. They acknowledge that the solution will not come from their own strength, and they trust that God knows ways they cannot yet see.
Giving thanks changes our perspective. It makes us aware of who we depend on. It strengthens our faith because it places greater value on God’s promises than on our own fears. It also honors God because it declares: “My life is in His hands.”
Perhaps you, too, are facing something right now that seems like an overwhelming army. In that case, you do not have to pretend to be strong. You can say, like Jehoshaphat: “I do not know what to do.” But do not stop there. Add: “My eyes are on You.” Seek God. Hold fast to His Word. Trust that He knows your situation and has not lost control. Then begin to give thanks. Thank Him that He is able to act. Thank Him that He will give you strength for the next step. Thank Him that His goodness never ends and His faithfulness never wavers. Thank Him not only for what He gives, but for who He is.
Jehoshaphat and his army had not yet seen the victory when they began to sing. However, they knew the One who could give it. That is why they set out with thanksgiving. While their praise rang out, God was at work.
Niko Ernst
Herford, Germany
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