Seek the Lord: 2 Chronicles 20:1-33

Introduction

I don’t know about you, but for me it is so easy to be overwhelmed or distracted by my circumstances, situation, or the details that I miss the proverbial forest for the trees. When something feels overwhelming… too big… too much the response is usually stress, panic, or fear.

Take Peter for example.

Or even me, as we have prepared to launch this church. Details about kids discipleship, sunday services, purchasing and inventory, financial accountability, etc. etc. Like the other pupils when I divert my attention to all these moving pieces the result is stress, fear, and discouragement.

What is it for you? Maybe there’s a family situation that is heavy, and overwhelming and no matter how hard you try you just can see how it’s going to work out.

Does work or school have you treading water, and you just don’t you’re going to meet the deadline.

Maybe you’re thinking about your kids going back to school, and you’ve heard so many horror stories of moral compromise that you can’t sleep at night thinking about all the what if’s…

Regardless, of your situation what we can all use is some focus. The ability to allow the details to fade, our fears subside, and focus on an object that brings peace and courage.

This is the story of Jehosphat’s Prayer and what I believe the Lord wants us to hear as we prepare to launch next week.

If you have your Bibles, open up with me to 2 Chronicles 20:1-33. Now I promised you a sermonette, 10 minutes, so I won’t read our passage in its entireity but I will bring our attention to the main points.

Context

Let’s begin by reading 2 Chronicles 20:1-3

2 Chronicles 20:1–3 ESV

After this the Moabites and Ammonites, and with them some of the Meunites, came against Jehoshaphat for battle. Some men came and told Jehoshaphat, “A great multitude is coming against you from Edom, from beyond the sea; and, behold, they are in Hazazon-tamar” (that is, Engedi). Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.

A coalition of surrounding armies decided to come against Judah!

Jehosphat is informed of this great horde, and notice his first response! His gut reaction! IS FEAR.

J was overwhelmed by the details of his present predicament. But what I love about J is he knew how to deal with fear, and its a lesson we could all learn.

vs. 3-4, “he set his face to seek the Lord.”

Seek the Lord

Now this entails more than a specific act of seeking God’s help or guidance. This isn’t foxhole christianity. The hebrew word here is the equivalent of knowing God and serving him with wholehearted devotion.

There was a rededication happening here, and one that was real!

And there are 3 things that play out in this story in response to J and Judah seeking the Lord, that I believe are pertinent to us today as we launch a new church.

Remembrance and a Reminding (vs. 5-9)

J stands in front of the entire assembly and begins by remembering who God is!

2 Chronicles 20:6 ESV

and said, “O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you.

“God of our fathers, God in heaven, You rule and in your hand are power and might!”

Fear is a universal emotion, and 365x in the Bible we are commanded to not be afraid! But easier said than done! But here’s a way to combat it...

All fear is triggered by a real or imagined threat or harm. So there is a perceived harm. A way to combat that harm or threat is to remember the character of God.

It’s what J does. He is in heaven, he is control, he holds all power and might. Combating fear with rememberance creates perspective and that threat is neutralized by faith in the character of God

Remind

J then reminds God of His previous faithfulness.

2 Chronicles 20:7 (ESV)

Did you not, our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel,

2 Chronicles 20:9 (ESV)

we will stand before this house and before you—for your name is in this house—

Now there are 2 keys here:

It actually reminds us or serves our remembrance. When we have experienced God’s deliverance before, it builds faith to believe him for his deliverance now.

But it also appeals to the glory of His name. God yearns for His name to be known, and when we petition God to act so that others may know Him we are praying in accordance with God’s will, and John says if we ask anything according to His will he hears us.

So Remember and Remind!

Confess and Commit (vs. 12)

2 Chronicles 20:12 ESV

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.”

As we remember God’s power and are reminded of how He has exercised that power in the past we come to terms with the very true reality that we are powerless!

We confess. Confess our limits in light of HIs limitlessness.

We Commit--- to taking our eyes off our own insufficiencies and seeking Him wholeheartedly.

We stop getting distracted by the people, the trees, the branch, the bird, and zero in on Him and Him alone.

Promise and a Prize

One of our favorite family verses is Jeremiah 29:13, “you will seek me and find me when you seek me with all of your heart.”

What happens when we turn our hearts to seek him wholeheartedly? When we confess and commit? He delivers. He provides a promise.

The Spirit of the Lord speaks thorugh Jahaziel a Levite and says…

2 Chronicles 20:17 (ESV)

You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.’ Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the Lord will be with you.”

I love this: put simply… when we put our eyes on Him, we see. When we stop looking to ourselves to muster the courage, the strength, the whatever, we see Him.

And as always, God delivered on His promise. He causes mass confusion in the camp of the enemy and they destroy one another.

2 Chronicles 20:24–25 (ESV)

When Judah came to the watchtower of the wilderness, they looked toward the horde, and behold, there were dead bodies lying on the ground; none had escaped. When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take their spoil, they found among them, in great numbers, goods, clothing, and precious things, which they took for themselves until they could carry no more. They were three days in taking the spoil, it was so much.

As God delivers on His promise, the people of God receive a prize. It took them 3 days to bring in the spoil, but that isn’t even the best prize.

2 Chronicles 20:29–30 ESV

And the fear of God came on all the kingdoms of the countries when they heard that the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel. So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet, for his God gave him rest all around.

THe best prize is that the People of God experienced His presence, and consequently His fame and glory spread!

And He gave them rest.

Conclusion

What does this mean for us?

I don’t know what you came in with? What fears you may be battling, or suppressing. What threats, or harms are bringing you stress, worry, or panic. I don’t know what fears or struggles or circumstances people will bring through those doors every week… but this I know. I know that this will be a place, an assembly, just like with Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah where we will SEEK the Lord together. We will Remember and Remind, We will confess and commit, and ultimately we will see His promises and Prizes.

So here’s how I’d like for us to conclude our time.

Time of Prayer

Break up into groups, and I’d even encourage that just as all Judah stood with their wives, and their children (vs.13), I’d encourage you to include your whole family in this.

Paul Wilder has printed some prayer guides. And he has utilzed a common Prayer acronoym of P.R.A.Y.

P- Pause (Confess your powerlessness, incompentency, etc. and commit to seeking God and putting our eyes on him.)

R- Rejoice (Remember who God has been to you as a family, and remind God of who He is in alignment with Scripture.)

A- Ask (On the second page you’ll see some guided ways to ask, I’d encourage you to choose one and cover it in prayer).

Y- Yield (Claim the promise, and yield to Him receiving the renown and glory and not ourselves)