In 2 Chronicles 20, King Jehoshaphat was told that “a great multitude is coming against you,” and he had the natural human reaction of fear. So what did he do? He went to the Lord in prayer, acknowledging His power and His graciousness to all the past generations, imploring Him to deliver them from trouble. The word of the Lord that comes as a reply is this in verse 15, “‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.’” The Lord continues further to say in verse 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…Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.”This tells me that the Lord certainly understands our fear, but is also quick to rescue when we come to Him, acknowledging who He is and then allowing Him to answer in His own way. My guess would be that the people of Judah and Jerusalem would have preferred if God had just destroyed the enemy before it was even a threat to them. But no, God had a way of delivering them that would forever stay with them as a memorial of just who their God was. Verse 22 says this, “Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated.”Remember today as we are faced with the approaching battle these 3 things:1. The battle is not yours. You my truly be afraid, because the things that you are facing are bigger than you, but they are NOT bigger than God! He is ready to fight for you, so even in the scariest of situations, know that He will fight for you, so hope should never be lost.2. Come to Him in prayer and acknowledge Him. We should come to the Lord with our situations, but always remembering to acknowledge Him and His greatness above all else. Tell Him who He is, who He has been to You and to those You love, and thank Him, all the while submitting your requests to Him as well. 3. Praise God! Your praise is a powerful weapon and shows God that even though you see no natural way out of your situation, you are acknowledging the One who has the answer! It shows your trust in Him as your Father. It will send your enemy running, defeated by a God who is Mightier than anything that can and ever will come against you! What a reassurance! You are not alone, so stand still, praise and acknowledge Him, and watch as He destroys your battles with praise!
Extraordinary Hope Friday, Jan 18 2008
What a week of realizations…I had something this week that shook me to the core and challenged every belief in me. I felt hopeless. When we feel hopeless, we lose at life, because hope keeps us going. Why do we lose our hope? Often, because the picture in front of us dictates it to be so. Things look bad, so we lose hope. This can’t be. If we lose our hope based upon life and it’s current status, then our hope will come and go, leaving us tired and lifeless in it’s wake. Emotions will try to rob our hope, but we have to rise above. When your situation is trying to tell you to give up hope, stare it down and know that there is a loving, gentle, and merciful Heavenly Father, who offers His Hope to us for our lives. This is the best hope, because it is not changed when life throws a curve ball. No, it remains steadfast and strong, because it is anchored in an Almighty and Sovereign God, who does NOT change. He is not moved by how bad your picture looks. No, He is bigger, higher, and stronger than WHATEVER you face, no matter WHAT others say, how you feel about it, or what emotions have come to lead you to believe.Someone needs to hear this today…THERE IS HOPE!!!
Rx for Worry Friday, Jan 18 2008
God peace, Scripture, worry 1:40 pm
Worried? Something laying heavy on your heart? Me too…most of the time it seems. But this morning I found a prescription for worry that I had never quite seen before. Check it out:”Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by PRAYER and SUPPLICATION, with THANKSGIVING, let your requests be made known to God; and the PEACE of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” - Philippians 4:4-7
It is easy for someone to tell us not to worry and to pray for God to give us that “peace that passes all understanding,” but if we read these verses, we will notice that this isn’t something that can just come. No, we have been given exact instructions on what to do. First, pray and supplicate (“to pray humbly; make humble and earnest entreaty or petition”), and with thanksgiving, let our requests (the things we want to see happen) be made known to God. THEN, once we have done all that, it says that the peace of God will guard our hearts.
I love God’s peace. It truly does pass our understanding, because it doesn’t come only when our situation has been made right, like a natural peace would, but comes during the very thickest part of our storm or struggle. Whatever you are praying for today, follow God’s Rx for worry, and then sit back as His peace takes over in the middle of your chaos. He is good.
