Thursday, January 10, 2008

Against All Odds

“And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. So Judah gathered together to ask help from the Lord; and from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord.” —2 Chronicles 20:3–4

Jehoshaphat, King of Judah, faced a dilemma. His enemies greatly outnumbered him. To make matters worse, his enemies had joined forces with the other enemies of Israel and were coming to destroy him. One day, someone came to King Jehoshaphat and warned him that a gigantic army was headed his way, ready to destroy him. Everything seemed hopeless. There was no way that he could meet this army with what he had. His forces were much smaller than the opposing armies who were very close by. All signs pointed to his destruction. What was Jehosaphat going to do? Panic? Worry? The Bible says that he "set himself to seek the Lord." He prayed, "O our God, will You not judge them? For 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" (2 Chronicles 20:12).

The Lord told Jehoshaphat, "Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God's. . . . Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you" (2 Chronicles 20:15–17).

Jehoshaphat and his army went out to meet their enemies, but they put the worship team out front. The Bible says that when they began to sing and praise the Lord, the enemy started fighting among themselves and destroyed each other.

Have you ever felt like Jehoshaphat? You get the news something bad is headed your way – a late night phone call, a notice in the mail, an unexpected meeting with your boss, a bad word from the doctor. How do you react? Where do you turn? What are you going to do?


Maybe you are facing what seems like an impossible situation right now. Like Jehoshaphat, you may be afraid and not know what to do. People may be depending on you during this trying time. You may not be able to see a way out. But God can.

You may be tempted to panic or worry. Fear may be creeping in. When was the last time you “put the worship team out front” when you were faced with trouble? Will you take the time to pray to God? Will you gather your family and tell them not be afraid, but to trust in the Lord?

Sometimes, it takes impossible situations of life to remind us that only God can truly give us help and strength to overcome. Position yourself. Call on Him. Then stand still and see what He will do.

2 comments:

  1. Can I just copy and paste this for my newsletter article? Instead of writing it, I am commenting on your blog.

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