Singled Out 2 Shine

Under the Microscope:

     Over the past few weeks God has undeniably been showing areas in my life that my faith is very weak.  He has been showing me that my actions do not always reflect my faith in the Lord.  Actually, I have allowed fear to paralyze my actions and sometimes I do just the opposite of what I know God would have me to do.  This is an everyday struggle for me. 

     Wikepedia explains “faith involves a concept of future events or outcomes”.  This is where my faith wanes and wavers, which would actually be defined as doubt.  Yes, I have faith in God.  I strongly believe that God will provide me with what is needed when it’s needed.  Yes, I believe that God wants to provide me with good rewards in my life as well.  He wants to prosper each of us. 

     So then, what keeps me from acting on my faith in God? Fear, selfishness, impatience, and doubt continue to hinder my walk with the Lord.   The cool thing about faith is that it grows as we grow in our relationship with God.  It is God who changes our hearts, our thoughts, and our beliefs.  And with these changes comes a change in our actions. 

Study of 2 Chronicles 20:  1-30

     A great example of faith in the Lord is the story of Jehoshaphat defeating Moab and Ammon.  Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, gets word that the Moab, the Ammonites, and the Meunites plan to attack him and his people.  The Bible states that “Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord”.  Now the word “alarmed” indicates that Jehoshaphat might have been scared to death.  I can imagine that he might have had some pretty desperate feelings knowing that he and his people were not equipped with what it would take to defeat armies of this magnitude.  Not just one army was going to attack, but three! 

     After seeking out the Lord, Jehoshaphat declares a fast for everyone in Judah.  The people of Judah all came together, fasted, and continued to seek God through this worrisome time.  When I first read this, I questioned why Jehoshaphat would require everyone to fast and not just himself.  I think it might have been to unite his people, maybe to encourage one another, or to strengthen one another.  Jehoshaphat knew how important it is to rely only on God. 

     As they are fasting, Jehoshaphat prays to God over all of his people.  In his prayer, he recognizes God’s authority over them, and he points out that he and his people have been faithful with what God has given them (the land that they possess).  And he tells God that he and his people will continue to seek Him in every trial they are faced with.  Now the neat thing is this, VS 12 “O our God, will you not judge them?  For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us.  We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you.”  This is the point in which we all should be in our lives.  To know that WE are weak and defenseless against all that would attack us, but to keep our eyes on God and trust that HE will take care of matters. 

     Jehoshaphat and his people turned to the Lord, and the spirit of the Lord sent a message to them.  VS 17 “You will not have to fight this battle.  Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, O Judah and Jerusalem.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.  Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.”  Now, this is where I tend to get in trouble.  When I turn to God with my weaknesses and troubles, He tells me the same thing that He told Jehoshaphat’s people.  He says, “Missy, don’t be afraid, take a stand for Me, and watch what I will do for you”.  So, why is it that I do just the opposite? 

     The next morning Jehoshaphat gets up and announces to his people, “Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld”.   And he and his people did what God told them to do; as they go, they are chanting, “Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever.”  Now, this is what I love to visualize:  VS 22 “As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated.”  Where did these ambushes come from?  After this battle, they all turned against one another and killed each other.  I don’t know about what you think, but I can only imagine that if I were one of Jehoshaphat’s people, I would have been standing there with my mouth wide open in amazement and somewhat dazed as to the events that occurred. 

     After the men collected all they could from the remains of the battle, they went back to Judah.  The first thing they did when they arrived was to go to the temple and praise God.  And as you can imagine, any country surrounding Judah that heard of the events gained fear of God.  VS 30 “And the kingdom of Jehoshaphat was at peace, for his God had given him rest on every side.” It seems perfectly logical that when we know that God has placed his protection around us in all directions, we are at peace as well.  To do this, we must be in the Word.

I want to be like Jehoshaphat’s people.  I want to have the kind of faith that would allow me to move forward in a way that would honor and please God.  I want to be able to turn away from and defeat sin in my life. 

What does it take to have faith in the Lord and to have the kind of faith that God honors?  In 1 Kings 22:41-43 it says of Jehoshaphat, “In everything he walked in the ways of his father Asa and did not stray from them; he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord.”  So, Jehoshaphat was a righteous man.  To be righteous is to know the Lord.  To know the Lord we must study God’s word.  How does God honor those who are righteous?  Psalms 37:25 yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken.  Psalms 34:15 the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry.  Psalms 34:17 the righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.  Psalm 34: 19-20 A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all; he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken. 

Dear Father,

Thank you, God, for being our King.  You lead us through many battles and protect us every day; even when our faith is weak.  God, we want so desperately for our faith to be like that of Jehoshaphat.  Father, help our knowledge of you to increase and our actions reflect your teachings so that our faith will be renewed each and every day.  In all of these things we pray in your son, Jesus Christ’s name.

Amen