Ever feel like things are coming in against you from every side?
And in the forecast for your life today: a severe thunderstorm warning is in effect. High winds of doubt and fear are expected to reach hurricane speeds. Hard pelting rains of sorrow and despair are expected to cause floods of depression. It is doubtful that the sun will be seen any time soon. Please stay captive to the fear that grips your soul as this storm is set to be the storm of the century…
Does that accurately describe anything you’ve gone through recently or might possibly be in right now? I want to give you a sure-fire, Bible-proven, tried, true and tested way to survive the troubles in your life and see the light of day again! It comes with a guarantee straight from the Word of the Lord! Understanding the principles of this chapter will help you remained focused on your purpose when all seems bleak and hope seems lost.
2 Chronicles 20 is the canvass from which this story comes alive. Jehoshaphat is surrounded by his enemy, and is no doubt distracted from his purpose – at least momentarily. I can only imagine what that must have felt like to have reports from his guards. Imagine trying to calm the fears of an entire city – how do you do that?
Seek the Lord
Although he was afraid, Jehoshaphat seeks the Lord and proclaims a fast: and then has everyone assemble to seek the Lord in unity[1]. Jehoshaphat didn’t seek the opinions of his army, or seek the counsel of another king who had been surrounded. He recognized his fear, and sought the highest power – GOD!
If you focus on the problem, it will consume you. Negative things are a part of life, there is no way to get around it. However, you don’t have to focus on it. Maybe our problem today is that we have other things we can seek when we ourselves are surrounded. Banks lend us money, credit cards allow us to spend to the max, and the government gives us help if we are poor enough. I’ve borrowed money. I’ve used credit cards. I’ve even taken advantage of help when I’ve needed it. However, I wonder if this mindset hasn’t caused the church to lose its focus.
When was the last time we sought God FIRST when we became surrounded? Has the enemy of our souls taken advantage of the desire to acquire and caused us to lean on our education, our jobs, and not on God? If what we’ve leaned on suddenly collapses, where do we go? What do we do? Whom do we call on?
I’m reminded of pioneers of the faith who have blazed trails before me who depended totally on God. One such preacher was called upon to preach in the next town over, but his shoes were worn out and he would not be able to make the 20 mile walk to go and preach. He prayed and told God that if He wanted him to go preach, then He would have to provide him with a new pair of shoes. The next morning, tied to the mailbox, was a new pair of shoes the exact size of the preacher’s feet. What has happened to this kind of purpose-minded-pioneer? If this spirit is lost, we will lose everything and our enemy will have successfully caused us to forget our purpose!
Seek the Lord! Seek the Lord FIRST! When you’re surrounded by your enemy, go to God. He’s the only One who can deliver you anyway. Do you trust the arm of the flesh, or the One who made that flesh?
Stand in the house of the Lord
After seeking the Lord, Jehoshaphat stood in the house of the Lord[2] and he called upon all of Judah to join him, and they also stood in the house of the Lord.[3] The word stood here is translated from a Hebrew word meaning, “to stand; remain; continue;[4] to stand still.[5]”
When things go wrong, some wind up going wrong with them. However, purpose-minded people endure. Don’t run from the problem – face it head on! Peace keepers are like doormats; they get walked on all the time. God never called us to be peace keepers: He called us to be peacemakers. Peacemakers face the conflict with hopes of reconciliation. General George Patton reflected on being surrounded and remarked; “Now I’ve got the enemy right where I want him.” This is the type of mindset people of purpose possess.
Stand in the house of the Lord. It is where you will find refuge, strength, courage, and endurance needed to finish the race you’ve begun. If the enemy has you surrounded, you must be doing something right. Only those who stand for something stand out from the crowd.
Sing praises to the Lord
The third thing Jehoshaphat did was have choir practice and appointed singers to lead the charge against the enemy.[6] This seems like an odd thing to do, especially if you are one of the appointed singers. I seriously doubt there is no general on the Joint Chiefs of Staff that is willing to meet with the President of the United States and offer a strategy for war that includes a choir! That general would be laughed out of the Situation Room and taken to the closest mental hospital.
But, because Jehoshaphat had sought the Lord and stood in the house of the Lord, he also obeyed the voice of the Lord. Sometimes the best thing to do is just sing your way out of your problem. Let God put a song in your heart and start singing His praises. You’d be surprised at the power of obedience.
One night at around 2:00 am, a lady was awakened by God and told to go sing on her back porch these words, “What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus…” She felt this was strange, but obeyed nonetheless. After singing through that song a few times, she went back inside and back to bed. Later that morning, there was a knock on her door: it was her next door neighbor and he asked if she had been the one to sing a few hours earlier in the middle of the night. She reluctantly said yes, and was ready to apologize for disturbing his sleep when he blurted out, “Thank you for saving my life! I was going to end my life last night, but heard you begin to sing that song and I couldn’t pull the trigger…” The power of obeying God when it doesn’t make any sense overpowers every other feeling. When the singers began to sing, God destroyed the enemy that had surrounded Jehoshaphat![7]
When things go wrong, don’t go wrong with them. If you’ll remain focused on your purpose, you will see the salvation of the Lord. You see, that’s part of the problem – we think we have to fight the battles. We try our ways and fail, and then turn to God to help us clean up the mess. If we would seek Him first, we might not get into so many messes. Let God make the decisions, trusting that He knows best. Trusting His word will keep you safe and bring you success in your situation. “Listen to me, Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem! ‘Trust in Adonai your God, and you will be safe. Trust in his prophets, and you will succeed.[8]’”
Letting go is hard to do as everyone likes control. Some like it more than others, but each person desires a certain measure of control over their life. However, left to make the decisions ourselves, we will fail miserably. Trusting God, when things go wrong and when things go right is non-negotiable for the purpose-minded Christian. Proverbs 3:5-6 is my favorite passage in Proverbs: “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”[9] But, notice that it does not say “with some of your heart”. You’ve got to learn to trust God with ALL your heart. That’s easy to do when things are not going so well, but God requires total trust and that includes when things are going well for you. Trusting Him first and wholly places responsibility on the right shoulders – God’s – and gives you the freedom to do what you’re called to do! Worrying about things is the first sign that you are not trusting God in that situation. Put your trust in Him today with all of your heart, and be ready to experience a load being lifted from your shoulders!
[1] 2 Chronicles 20:3-4
[2] 2 Chronicles 20:5
[3] 2 Chronicles 20:13
[4] Strong’s Exhaustive Dictionary OT #5975
[5] Young’s Analytical Concordance to the Bible
[6] 2 Chronicles 20:20-21
[7] 2 Chronicles 20:22
[8] 2 Chronicles 20:20b (Complete Jewish Bible)
[9] Proverbs 3:5-6 (King James Version)
