2 CHRONICLES 20:12 – 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.”

THEME OF THE DAY. BEST PLACE TO BE. Today’s scripture is the ending of one of the great prayers in our Bibles. It was prayed by the King of Judah, Jehoshaphat, during a crisis time in Judah- the invasion by a trio of foes banded together against God’s people. Please read the entire prayer beginning from verse 5 to 12. It will be a blessing and give greater force of application in today’s scripture.

Here is the situation. Invasion upon Judah is imminent. A reconnaissance report has come to the king – 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)(2 Chronicles 20:2). How does the king respond? As anyone would when facing a crisis out of one’s control and power to change or overcome – “Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. And Judah assembled to seek help from the Lord; from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord” (2 Chronicles 20:3-4). An immediate application comes upon each of us. When something comes into our lives that is going to overwhelm us, tempt us to hunker down in fear, and keep us awake at night with worry, intensify the seeking of the Lord. Too often in tough circumstances we offer a “flare prayer” of emergency for God’s immediate deliverance instead of seeing this as an opportunity to get closer to Him in the crisis. So, don’t pace the floor in fear and anxiety. Drop to your knees in seeking the One who controls what is going on in your life.

Now, we come to another application and important one from the end of Jehoshaphat’s prayer – today’s scripture. As life unfolds and we face what appears to be “no way out” circumstances and impossible situations, how do we respond? Well, there are two we may choose. The first one is never good and leads nowhere. It is to allow unbelief in God’s providence, protection, and provision and attempt to work ourselves out of what He has sent. Never works. Never honors Him. Never matures us in the faith. And what is so deceiving is we may say, “I prayed about this” and then just rushed headlong in to some self-ascribed course of action that never takes us to a good place. The other response is the correct and God-honoring one; the one we see in King Jehoshaphat. What did he do? He confessed, “Lord, we don’t have the answers. We don’t know what to do so we are giving all this uncertainty, fear, and danger to You. We place our eyes on You.” And that my friends is the best place to be! Let God carry our burdens. Let God do what He does best – lead and protect us.

So, when “invasions” come into our lives that threaten us to fear and mistrust, be Jehoshaphat-like. Run to the Lord, lay out everything before Him, and don’t try to figure things out on your own, and worse, don’t take matters into your own hands. Lean on the everlasting arms of the God who promised to lead and guide us through the many dangers in this life.

PRAYER: “Father, thank You for putting me in situations beyond my ability to control or change so I may trust in You.”

QUOTE: “God places us in impossible circumstances with no human way out to build our faith and draw our eyes to Him.”