"Messengers came and told Jehoshaphat, "A vast army from Edom is marching against you from beyond the Dead Sea. They are already at Hazazon-tamar." (This was another name for En-gedi.)" - 2Ch 20:2 NLT
"Jehoshaphat was terrified by this news and begged the LORD for guidance. He also ordered everyone in Judah to begin fasting." - 2Ch 20:3 NLT
"So people from all the towns of Judah came to Jerusalem to seek the LORD's help." - 2Ch 20:4 NLT
"Jehoshaphat stood before the community of Judah and Jerusalem in front of the new courtyard at the Temple of the LORD." - 2Ch 20:5 NLT
"He prayed, "O LORD, God of our ancestors, you alone are the God who is in heaven. You are ruler of all the kingdoms of the earth. You are powerful and mighty; no one can stand against you!" - 2Ch 20:6 NLT
"O our God, did you not drive out those who lived in this land when your people Israel arrived? And did you not give this land forever to the descendants of your friend Abraham?" - 2Ch 20:7 NLT
"Your people settled here and built this Temple to honor your name." - 2Ch 20:8 NLT
"They said, 'Whenever we are faced with any calamity such as war, plague, or famine, we can come to stand in your presence before this Temple where your name is honored. We can cry out to you to save us, and you will hear us and rescue us.'" - 2Ch 20:9 NLT
""And now see what the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir are doing. You would not let our ancestors invade those nations when Israel left Egypt, so they went around them and did not destroy them." - 2Ch 20:10 NLT
"Now see how they reward us! For they have come to throw us out of your land, which you gave us as an inheritance." - 2Ch 20:11 NLT
"O our God, won't you stop them? We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to attack us. We do not know what to do, but we are looking to you for help."" - 2Ch 20:12 NLT
"As all the men of Judah stood before the LORD with their little ones, wives, and children," - 2Ch 20:13 NLT
"the Spirit of the LORD came upon one of the men standing there. His name was Jahaziel son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, a Levite who was a descendant of Asaph." - 2Ch 20:14 NLT
"He said, "Listen, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Listen, King Jehoshaphat! This is what the LORD says: Do not be afraid! Don't be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God's." - 2Ch 20:15 NLT
"Tomorrow, march out against them. You will find them coming up through the ascent of Ziz at the end of the valley that opens into the wilderness of Jeruel." - 2Ch 20:16 NLT
"But you will not even need to fight. Take your positions; then stand still and watch the LORD's victory. He is with you, O people of Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or discouraged. Go out against them tomorrow, for the LORD is with you!"" - 2Ch 20:17 NLT
"Then King Jehoshaphat bowed low with his face to the ground. And all the people of Judah and Jerusalem did the same, worshiping the LORD." - 2Ch 20:18 NLT
I'm afraid that my mind wandered off on tangents this morning during Pastor Jack's sermon. I finally got out a piece of paper to jot down what he was saying and the direction my thoughts were taking.
Pastor Jack started by pointing out that Jehoshaphat's reaction to the news of armies marching on Judah was terror. He talked about how when we face difficulties in life, our reaction is often the same. I know that whenever I learn that we are behind on yet another bill, when relational difficulties come my way, when things occur to make me doubt my husband's love for me, when I am faced with my daughter's death, I am filled with dread and terror.
Despite his terror, Jehoshaphat knew what to do. He turned to God with what Pastor Jack called "A Prayer of Despair." This, Pastor Jack said, is where seeking God usually begins, in despair. I believe that despair is a turning point. We can choose to lean on God or we can choose to give up all together or we can choose to continue plodding on in a state of despair. Me, I'm pretty sure I'm at this state of despair and I can't tell you how many times I have come close to giving up. Pastor Jack says that seeking God involves transparency. Here my thoughts wandered. Why should seeking God involve transparency? Since God is not transparent with us, why should we "be transparent" with him? Also, God knows all things anyway. So what good does it do to "drop the mask" when we can't have a mask with God anyway? God's obtuseness frustrates me. It does not seem reasonable to me to be asked to do something for God that God is not willing, or possibly not able to do for me.
Pastor Jack got my attention back when he mentioned the need for an attitude of getting into God's presence. He said that this gets us closer to God's power. Again, my mind walked off on a tangent. When someone hurts you or allows you to be hurt over and over again, why would you want to spend time in his presence? Our natural reaction is to draw away from the things that cause us pain. And I know that my reaction of late is to want to curl up in a ball as far away from the people who cause me pain as I can. It's my position, too, that if God is in control, and I believe he is, then the things that occur to hurt us are his fault. Trust must be earned. Experiencing bad things over and over again does not engender trust. Also, sometimes the promised reward does not seem worth the pain.
My attention returned to the sermon when Pastor Jack addressed fasting. To catch God's attention, Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah fasted and prayed. Pastor Jack says that fasting draws God's attention because it shows commitment and steadfastness of purpose. He says that we can fast from more than food. It is possible to fast from TV shows, movies, individual foods, anything that can capture our attention and desire.
He then went on to say that seeking God involves listening. I was reminded of the Calorman saying (from the Chronicles of Narnia) "To hear is to obey" and one of my father's lectures discussing the meanings of the word "hear" used in the new testament. From what I understand, when the Bible says "Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches." (Rev. 2:17) The term "listen" can also be translated "Anyone with ears to hear must obey the Spirit..." Hearing and obeying are directly connected.
Pastor Jack also said that the battle is not ours, but God's. If we are listening to God, he will speak to us through everything around us. We should pay attention and listen for God's voice from other people and from his word. He said to listen, be attentive to God's voice. "He who has ears to hear, let him hear what the Spirit has to say to the churches.
Pastor Jack says that seeking God involves making a decision to trust. There is an unbreakable connection between trust and obedience. Seeking God involves a commitment to praise and worship many times a day, and not just on Sunday morning.
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