“Fear arises when we imagine that everything depends on us. We assume a burden that God never intended for us to carry.”
I want to share with you the story of King Jehoshaphat and how he dealt with fear.
2 Chronicles 20:1-30 Here we have Jehoshaphat and he is approached by some men that have come to tell him “A vast army is coming against you” and as a matter of fact Jehoshaphat it is already on its way.
Not, there is a possibility or we have heard rumors that...but they are close. They are coming to make war with you.
At this point Monica would have done one of 2 things...I would have snatched up my children, my scrapbooks and a few clothes and run like the wind or I would have started preparing for the fight. But what did Jehoshaphat do. Verse 3 says “Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord and he proclaimed a fast for all of Judah. The people of Judah came together to seek help from the Lord; indeed they came from every town in Judah to seek him”
Vast armies are on there way and even though it says he was alarmed, Jehoshaphat “resolved” to inquire of the Lord. I love this word resolved (to fully determine to do something). With everything else that might possibly need doing to prepare for a war, Jehoshaphat “resolved” to pray. He was determined to inquire of the Lord as to what they should do. He called the people to fast and pray. And as these people all came together from different towns this is what Jehoshaphat prayed...
“LORD, the God of our ancestors, are you not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you. Our God, did you not drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend? They have lived in it and have built in it a sanctuary for your Name, saying, ‘If calamity comes upon us, whether the sword of judgment, or plague or famine, we will stand in your presence before this temple that bears your Name and will cry out to you in our distress, and you will hear us and save us.’ “But now here are men from Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, whose territory you would not allow Israel to invade when they came from Egypt; so they turned away from them and did not destroy them. See how they are repaying us by coming to drive us out of the possession you gave us as an inheritance. Our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”
1. Jehoshaphat was Steadfast in his faith.
We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you. Have you ever been there? Have you ever been faced with a situation where you had no idea what to do? Have you ever wanted to pull the covers over your head and hope it was all a bad dream? What are you facing today? Are you pulling the covers over your head or are you standing steadfast in your faith and “Inquiring of the Lord.”
Return tomorrow for Part 2.
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