Have you ever felt like the things in front of you, the things that you are facing, are too big for you to handle? Have you thought for a moment that perhaps God accidentally "gave you more than you can handle"? Well, if you can answer yes to either of those questions (or ones similar), you are not alone. Sometimes we can definitely feel in over our heads. Thankfully, we aren't meant to be ruled by our feelings.
I am reminded of Jehosophat this morning, as I often am when things seem "large". In chapter 20 of 2 Chronicles it tells the story of Jehosophat and the Israelites, as they come upon a vast army ready to attack them. Territories that they obediently did not invade when they came from Egypt, were now coming to invade them!! Jehosophat's first thought was to be alarmed. These collective armies definitely out numbered his army, and I'm sure he felt just a tad bit overwhelmed.
But what's the next thing He did? In verse 3 we see that Jehosophat resolved to inquire of the Lord, to seek help from Him.
The teacher in me finds it necessary to define the word RESOLVED for you. It is such a key in our process. It means "firm in purpose or intent; determined ; that is so powerful. Sometimes we just need to determine something in our hearts, and stick to it. To determine that our first response in any situation will be to inquire of the Lord.
In front of the entire assembly of gathered Israelites, Jehosophat began to cry out to God. You can read his prayer for yourself in verses 6-12. As I read it, I get the sense that he had some confidence in God; this incredible God who had delivered them in the past..."we will stand in Your presence...and cry out to You in our distress, YOU WILL HEAR US AND SAVE US".
What happened next is one of my favorite parts of the story:
The Spirit of the Lord came on Jahaziel (a Levite), and he began to declare the word of the Lord over the people:
Do not be afraid or discouraged.
The battle is not yours, but God's.
You will not have to fight this battle.
Take up your positions, and stand firm and see the deliverance of God.
The Lord will be with you.
Wow. Retread those lines a few times and apply them to what you are facing. I am doing the same. Insert your name at the beginning of each line. Powerful.
And then what was Jehosophat's response to the word of the Lord...worship.
Him and the Israelites fell down in worship before God. Then some of the Levites stood and began to praise God IN A VERY LOUD VOICE.
You can read the rest of the story in verses 20-26 for yourself. To sum it up, they got up early the next morning, headed towards the battle with the worshippers leading the pack, declaring "give thanks to the Lord for His love endures forever". Unbeknownst to them, as they worshipped, God was setting up ambushes on their behalf. And when I say ambushes, I mean AMBUSHES. When the arrived at the place that overlooks the battlefield, everyone was DEAD!!! The enemy armies had turned on each other and there were only dead bodies left. All that was left for Jehosophat and the Israelites to do was to collect the loot!! There was so much stuff it took the 3 DAYS to collect it all!! They named that place The Valley of Berakah which means The Valley of Praise!
You may have read that story before, as I have, but today we need a fresh reminder.
No matter what mountain, army, or situation stands in front of us, we have an incredibly trustworthy God who fights on our behalf. We don't have to fight the battle. Go to praise. Begin to declare the goodness of God in the midst of your situation. Prophesy His Bigness over the seeming bigness of your circumstance. His capitalized Bigness was on purpose! If we will simply resolve to trust Him, to surrender to His ability to bring resolution, breakthrough, answers, etc, we will see His hand move on our behalf in ways we can't imagine.
Whatever you face today, be encouraged.
Go back and declare the Word of the Lord through Jahaziel over yourself and your situation.
Something will shift.
I don't know when, and I don't know how, but it WILL SHIFT.
