A few weeks ago I wrote about the paradox of serving in the kingdom of God and how, even though it is counterintuitive, the way to greatness is actually found in being a servant to others. Even though God plainly tells us that *“His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts”* there is still an element of surprise when God revealed His plans and purposes to us. We have been conditioned by the world’s methods and protocols, but God does not limit Himself to man’s conventions, in fact, He doesn’t always do things the same way He did before. He is the God of new things and it is important for us to remember that we can always trust Him even when he leads us along paths we have not walked previously or in ways that sometimes defy explanation to the human mind. Jehoshaphat became king of Judah and he began well. (2 Chronicles 17-20) He followed the Lord like David did and he did not worship Baal. Under his reign, Judah became powerful and rich. Jehoshaphat was a success, but his success led to complacency and compromise. He began to think like a worldly king, rather than one who sought God. From a conventional perspective his marriage to Ahab’s daughter seemed prudent, but we must be careful of unholy and unequal alliances. It seems to be easy to overthink and rationalize the choices that we make in the effort to maintain the success that we gained by following God’s plan. This success is gained by following God’s plan, so why do we so often resort to our own devices or employ worldly schemes in an effort to see the success continue? Jehoshaphat’s compromise led to a bitter military defeat in which Ahab lost his life. Jehoshaphat was devoted to the Lord, but his devotion was not wholehearted and as a result he did not live in complete victory.( 2 Chronicles 20:32–33) Subsequently, his enemies perceived that he was weak and a mighty alliance rose against Judah. This time, instead of trying to rely upon unholy partnerships to save him, he and the people sought God. The spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel who offered these encouraging words: *“Listen, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Listen, King Jehoshaphat! This is what the LORD says: Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.”* 2 Chronicles 20:15 (NLT) This time Jehoshaphat listened to the Lord and he did not wage war in a conventional manner, but instead he arranged for the singers and musicians to lead the army into battle. As a result, chaos and confusion enveloped their enemy and they began fighting amongst themselves. The enemies of Judah, completely destroyed themselves: the collection of the spoils was the only work that needed to be done. It would be satisfying if we could say that that is how Jehoshaphat’s story ended, but sadly the lessons were not completely learned and once again Jehoshaphat entered into a business relationship with a wicked king of Israel, Ahaziah. They agreed to build trading ships, but the Lord was not pleased with the alliance and as a result, the ships never made it out to sea. (2 Chronicles 20:35–37) The Lord is gracious and patient, giving us many opportunities to learn our lessons. Jehoshaphat started out well and he had significant victories along the way, but he failed to finish well. When God gives us the victory and when we have followed his ways, even when they are unconventional, we must not become wise in our own eyes and attempt to complete our work in alignment with worldly wisdom. It is wonderful to have a good start, but it is even more important to stay the course and finish well.