When you feel overwhelmed
From 2 Chronicles 20:15 we read these words, “Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s.”
WHEN YOU FEEL OVERWHELMED.
Life is a battle! Sometimes life feels impossible. It happens when it feels you’re being attacked from all sides. Maybe you’re feeling like that today. That happened to Jehoshaphat, the King of Judah. One day he found himself and his nation surrounded by armies from three different enemy nations all at once. These three armies had this king and his nation, outnumbered, outwitted, and overpowered. There was absolutely nothing they could do! It looked like “turn out the lights the party is over time” for this king. Then something incredible took place. This wise and godly king made a decision to do something that enabled him and the nation of Judah to come through this hopeless dilemma victorious! What did he do? He did one very simple thing and it was the key in overcoming such tremendous odds. He PRAYED! You can read Jehoshaphat’s prayer that’s recorded in 2 Chronicles 20:6-12. God has it printed in His Word to show us how to pray when facing life’s battles.
PRAYER CHANGES US, NOT GOD! When you read over Jehoshaphat’s prayer, you can see his prayer began to change him. Prayer changed Jehoshaphat, then his circumstances. The same four changes he experienced will take place in anyone who prays earnestly like this king prayed. Praying helped him…
1. REFOCUS UPON THE LORD. As he poured out his heart to the Lord, I can almost hear him as he prays,“Art not thou God in heaven? and rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen? and in thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee?”(6). Praying enabled him to look away from the battle that confronted him to the might and power of God. When he first heard the enemies were about to invade, the Bible says “Jehoshaphat feared” (3). We mistakenly think prayer changes God. We pray sometimes like we’re trying to change God’s mind about something He doesn’t want to do. But in reality, prayer changes us, not Him! As this king prayed his fear turned to faith! Praying caused him to…
2. REMEMBER GOD’S FAITHFULNESS IN THE PAST. As he continued to pray, he recalled one of many instances in the past when God intervened and helped his people. “Art not thou our God, who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people..?” Remembering God’s faithfulness in the past helped Jehoshaphat deal with any doubts he was struggling with at that moment. Stop and think about the many times God has seen you through the past and it will help you trust him for today and the future. God doesn’t want us to forget past victories! We’re to store them away in our hearts or write them down so we don’t forget how He’s answered our prayers. As we look back on the wonderful times He’s helped us, we can pray, “Lord, Do it again!” Praying enabled him to …
3. REQUEST GOD’S HELP. Again, Jehoshaphat prayed, “We have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee” (12). Do you feel like this great king felt? Are you thinking, “I don’t know what I’m going to do about this awful situation!” If so, pray what Jehoshaphat prayed! “Lord, My eyes are upon You!” We’re told that this king called the entire nation together to pray. The Bible says in verse 4, “And Judah gathered themselves together, to ask HELP of the LORD: even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the LORD.” WOW! What a prayer meeting! Lastly, praying enabled him to….
4. RECEIVE AN ANSWER FROM GOD. The only prayer God will not answer is an un-offered prayer! You’ve asked others to pray and that’s good. But have you earnestly prayed yourself? Without faith it’s impossible to please God” (Heb. 11:6). Faith is acting like we believe what says. He said, “Ask and you shall receive” (Mat. 7:7). Have you asked? It was shortly after this simple, humble prayer that God answered in an incredible way! First, God spoke through a prophet and reassured Jehoshaphat and Judah, “Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; FOR THE BATTLE IS NOT YOURS BUT GOD’S” (15). Maybe, that promise is for someone reading this today. And for sure, it’s for the rest of us on another day! You see just like with King Jehoshaphat and his enemies, your spiritual enemy wants you to think your battle is between you and him. It’s not! The battle is between him and the Lord! And guess what? The Lord has already defeated him on the cross! Amen?! Then, the Bible goes on to tell us that this godly king and his nation began to sing and praise the Lord and God went before them and completely wiped out those enemy armies! Why? Because of one reason, PRAYER! And in answer to his prayer, the Bible says, “the LORD fought against the enemies of Israel” and destroyed them!
HOW BOUT YOU, TODAY? Isn’t it comforting to know that we can turn to God in prayer when the battles of life seem to overwhelm us? If that’s the case with you today, do the one thing this king did…PRAY! Pray the words he prayed, “Lord, I don’t know what to do, but my eyes are upon you!” Then remember 2 Chronicles 20:15, “THE BATTLE IS NOT YOURS BUT GOD’S!” Let Him fight for you! He’s never lost a battle yet! Think it over…