What are we supposed to do when
we go through adversity? We seek God’s
answer through prayers and supplications but we still do not hear from Him. It
seems the more time we give, the longer we wait. I know that it is God’s timing not my own but
I can not help it since I think worldly.
I also know for a fact that God has not brought me this far to leave me
now. When we get too comfortable we do
not want to change. In fact, in our
comfort zones, we take things for granted and when you take things for granted
you do not miss them until they are gone.
When we face a crisis, we tend to look at the crisis instead of looking
at God who is bigger than our crisis. Sometimes we do not see the good in
things because we are concentrating on the bad. We lose sleep, weight, cry and
get depressed when something in our lives change from what we were used to.
In 2 Chronicles 20, King Jehoshaphat realized that he was about to
face three armies and the odds were three against one. Jehoshaphat realized his helplessness in the
midst of this crisis. Fear gripped him because he knew that he could not stand
against this united force. This great multitude was more than he could handle.
He openly declares this to the Lord, "For we have no power against this
great multitude that is coming against us" 2 Chronicles 20:12. He recognized that he was helpless in this
midst of this crisis. He acknowledged that he could not deal with this crisis
on his own. Jehoshaphat accepted the
fact that he was helpless and nothing in his own power could change it.
This sense of helplessness
compelled him to pray, "And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek
the LORD and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah." 2 Chronicles 20:3. He prayed because of his helplessness. And he
did not mouth a superficial prayer. He prayed with intensity in this crisis.
The text says that he "set himself to seek the Lord." He then
proclaimed a fast. This fasting would only intensify his praying. He poured his
heart out to God because He knew that only God could help. The root of this
intense praying is his helplessness. That is why it is crucial to realize our
helplessness in the midst of the crisis. The acknowledgment of our helplessness
will drive us to pray. It will motivate us to seek the Lord and depend on Him
for His strength, His solutions, and His direction. Helplessness is not a
hindrance to prayer. It is actually a help to seeking God. Let our helplessness
drive us to seek God. We cannot handle the crises of our lives and that we must
pray as we face them and grow through them.
Our response to a crisis is often
to find a solution. We try and work it out on our own to relieve the pain. Sometimes
our pride makes us think that we can handle the crisis. Yet, our first response
to a crisis should be to commit to seeking the Lord. The commitment of our heart
must be, "Lord, I don’t know what to do, but my eyes are fixed on
You." Our commitment must be to pray and wait on the Lord. There are times
that God will answer us immediately in the midst of a crisis. Then, there are
other times when God’s answer comes later. We live in an age of fast food,
drive-through banking, and instant communication. We are used to instant
gratification. As a child of God, we will be required to seek Him and wait on
Him and His timing. Sometimes we will have to seek Him intensely and wait for
Him. Jesus said, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.” Matthew
7:7.
Jehoshaphat praised God in the
midst of his crisis. He put his confidence in the greatness of God not in the
power of man. We need to do the same,
concentrate on God’s character and love for us.
Remind him of the promises He made to us and accept His will. The real pain is leaving our comfort zone for
something better. In the end,
Jehoshaphat did not fight the battle, a loving and merciful God did. In fact, God told Jehoshaphat to stand back
and watch. God answered Jehoshaphat’s prayer for help. His command was clear,
"Listen, all you of Judah,
and you inhabitants of Jerusalem,
and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the Lord to you: Do not be afraid nor dismayed
because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.
Tomorrow go down against them. They will surely come up by the Ascent of Ziz,
and you will find them at the end of the brook before the Wilderness of Jeruel.
You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and
see the salvation of the Lord." 2
Chronicles 20:15-17. God promised victory if they would trust in Him and
stand firm. They experienced victory because they sought God, listened to Him,
and obeyed Him. Keep in mind that our
battles can be sickness, drug independence, financial, marital and other issues
that can cause crises.
When we are in the midst of a
crisis, we must remember whose crisis it is. We must understand that it is God’s
crisis. It is God’s opportunity to work in powerful and unique ways in our lives.
This is His occasion to reveal Himself in new and fresh ways to us. It is His
circumstance to show us how much He loves us and cares for us. I am not saying
that everything that happens to us is good. There are a lot of crappy things
that can happen to us. The crises that we face in life can be agonizing and
devastating. Yet, at the same time, they can be opportunities for God to work
in us, speak to us, and change us. They can be times for God to show us Himself
as never before in our lives. We do not have to drown in fear and
discouragement in the midst of crisis. Understand that this is God’s opportunity
to work in our lives. The crises may be bad, but God is good. No matter how
hard life gets, God is always good and merciful. He can take the crises of life
and use them for His own glory and our good.
Praise God for being the Potter
who shapes and molds our lives even through adversity. Praise God for being the generous
God who pours out His blessings on us in the midst of adversity. Praise God
for being the giving God who supplies our needs even in the midst of crisis.
I love you and appreciate you.
God bless!
“For I know the plans I have
for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm
you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah
29:11.
