2nd Chronicles chapter 20. What's the problem?
King Jehoshaphat of Judah and Jerusalem heard that a vast and huge army was coming out against him and his people. How he responded to a seemingly impossible war is how I want to respond when I face troubles of any kind. He did the following:
1. INQUIRE: he inquired God first and foremost.
2. FAST: he fasted before the Lord. A way of saying not me God but you.
3. ONENESS: he called his family of God to join in prayer.
4. HUMBLE: the people humbly came before the Lord recognizing It is by God's power and strength and not their own.
5: TRUST: They trusted God. This is the hard part for me. It's not always easy for me to trust God particularly in what seems like an impossible situation.
6. DELIVER: in God's due time He will intervene in our situation.
7. PRAISE and THANKSGIVING: this is another area where I have room for improvement. All Judah praised and thanked God before his Deliverance came and after. I want to be able to praise and thank God before the Deliverance comes as a way of knowledging my faith and trust in him, but also praise and thank him when he does intervene and answer.
A verse that stood out to me today from this chapter was 2 Chronicles 20:12.
“O our God, will You not execute judgment on them? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on You.”
There have been so many times that I haven’t had a clue about what to do in certain situations, but this reminds me to keep focused on God. He will provide the answer. I was reminded of two other verses today.
2 Corinthians 5:7
“for we walk by faith, not by sight.”
Matthew 6:33
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
Imagine the faith of putting your choir armed with only praise and musical instruments in front of your army. That’s the kind of faith I want to have.