Have you ever come to a point when you don’t know what you ought to do? They say that you should always have a Plan B, in case Plan A goes awry. But. . . what about when Plan B falls apart? Then, what?
In II Chronicles 20, Jehoshaphat, king of Judah was having that kind of day. He received word that there was a “great multitude against thee from beyond the sea on this side Syria.” Jehoshaphat was afraid and set himself to seek the Lord, proclaiming a fast throughout the land. Judah gathered themselves together to ask help of the Lord. Jehoshaphat stood in the court of the temple and cried out to the Lord. “If, when evil comes upon us, as the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we stand before this house, and in Thy presence and cry unto Thee in our affliction, then Thou wilt hear and help.” (II Chron. 20:10) He continued in verse 12, asking, “O our God, wilt Thou not judge them; for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither do we know what to do? but our eyes are upon Thee.” When Judah was faced with incredible odds against them, and they didn’t know what to do – First, they prayed unto the Lord, pleading their case. Their eyes were upon God. Sometimes, God puts us on our backs – so we can look up! That’s the first thing that we need to do when we don’t know what to do – turn to God – Pray!
Then, they waited to find out the answer to their prayers. I don’t know about you, but this is probably the HARDEST part for me. We have to make sure that we don’t put time restraints on the Lord. I’ve heard of people saying, “Well, if ________ doesn’t happen by __________, then the answer must be ________.” II Peter 3:8 says, “But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” Our time might not be His time. Sometimes, we have to remember what Isaiah said in chapter 40:31, “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” The trials that we endure while waiting, may be the very things that build our strength and prepare us for His answer. We may not be “ready” until we’ve spent time waiting.
God did hear and answer the cries of Jehoshaphat and Judah by telling them in verse 15, “Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not your’s, but God’s.” Furthermore, in verse 17 He says, “Ye shall not need to fight in this battle. Set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord with you, O Judah and Jerusalem; fear not, nor be dismayed, tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord will be with you.” The people rejoiced! Their prayers had been answered! Then, the Lord set ambushments against their enemies, and they were defeated. It took Judah three days to gather all of the spoils of the battle because it was more than they could carry. Not only did the Lord fight the battle for them, He also blessed them because they approached this situation in the right way. He’ll do the same for us if we obey Him.
So, if you’re at a place where “you don’t know what to do,” follow Jehoshaphat and Judah’s lead. Pray – bring your case before the Lord. Be willing to wait to see what His answer will be. Finally, trust in His answer and obey. When you follow this Godly example, who knows what wonderful things God may have in store for you! Simply Blessed, Courtney