What to do when you don't know what to do? 8/26/2020

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2 Chronicles 20:1 NKJV
1 It happened after this that the people of Moab with the people of Ammon, and others with them besides the Ammonites, came to battle against Jehoshaphat.
Jehoshaphat was a King in the time when Israel was split into two Kingdoms, Israel and Judah. He was credited with some Godly reforms to the Kingdom of Judah.
set Judges to rule for the Lord in peoples cases.
Appointed Levites and priests to lead according to God’s law and teach it to the people.
turned the people away from idolatry
At the same time Jehoshaphat failed in some regard because he aligned himself with wicked Kings. Various times God sent prophets to Jehoshaphat to deliver a message of judgement, but every time God said He would bring judgement… Jehoshaphat responded with fasting and prayer.
You can always move God with fasting and prayer.
2 Chronicles 20 details how three nations aligned themselves together against Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah.
With such overwhelming odds against Judah there was no possible escape. It was an impossible situation.
One enemy alone would be a challenge. But three together… it was what Kings feared most. To have enemies show up in great number and not have any allies to come to your aid.
The wicked King of the northern Kingdom of Israel, King Ahab, had died in their last war with Syria. The people and relationships that Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah had been depending on were no longer strong enough to trust for help.
In challenging times God will allow the things in this world you have trusted to be taken from you.
2 Chronicles 20:5-12 record just how desperate Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah are:
2 Chronicles 20:5–12 NKJV
5 Then Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, before the new court, 6 and said: “O Lord God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven, and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in Your hand is there not power and might, so that no one is able to withstand You? 7 Are You not our God, who drove out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel, and gave it to the descendants of Abraham Your friend forever? 8 And they dwell in it, and have built You a sanctuary in it for Your name, saying, 9 ‘If disaster comes upon us—sword, judgment, pestilence, or famine—we will stand before this temple and in Your presence (for Your name is in this temple), and cry out to You in our affliction, and You will hear and save.’ 10 And now, here are the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir—whom You would not let Israel invade when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them and did not destroy them— 11 here they are, rewarding us by coming to throw us out of Your possession which You have given us to inherit. 12 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.”
The multitude is coming. We are powerless! We don’t know what to do! We don’t have anywhere else to turn!
Our God is a saving God. He is in the saving business!
He saves Jehoshaphat and Judah from these invaders without the army even having to fight. The Lord set a trap for these enemies and when they came to battle they turned on each other and slew each other until not a single soldier was left.
Jehoshaphat and Judah did not even have to fight a single soldier.
I want to draw your attention to some important things in God’s response to Jehoshaphat after he had prayed. It’s recorded for us in 2 Chronicles 20:14-17.
2 Chronicles 20:14–17 NKJV
14 Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly. 15 And he said, “Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the Lord to you: ‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. 16 Tomorrow go down against them. They will surely come up by the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the brook before the Wilderness of Jeruel. 17 You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.”
Two times the Lord tells them “do not fear or be dismayed”. The Hebrew word used for dismayed is to “prostrate”. Lay face down… Do not fear, and don’t lay down.
There is always fear in seasons of uncertainty. We find ourselves in such a time.
Fear can cause you to lay down… What’s the point in trying? Fear will cause you to depend on the flesh more than on God.
Abraham lied because of fear.
Saul hid himself in a tent instead of facing Goliath because of fear.
Peter denied Jesus because of fear.
2 Timothy 1:7
2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV
7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
The only acceptable fear you should live with is the fear of the Lord. If yo fear the Lord it will cause you to act for righteousness.
Battle is not yours, but God’s
Every battle that comes to your life is not your battle…some battles are. Some are not.
Understand where God is at…
Tomorrow go down against them.
Show up. If you show up, God will show up.
Position yourselves
Get into the right place where God wants you to be. Get spiritually right with God.
Repentance, prayer and fasting positions you with God.
Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord.
Standing feels like doing nothing. But sometimes standing is all you need to do. Standing gives you the ability to move when God says to move…
Right now we are in a season of standing still… Trust the Lord and stand still.
God met each of the concerns Jehoshaphat prayed…
We are powerless… Don’t fear or be dismayed… this is my battle, not yours.
We don’t know what to do… stand still.
What do you do when you don’t know what to do? Position yourself with God, and stand still.
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