Recently, I encountered a situation where I was going somewhere I had never been before. I thought I knew the general area of where I was going, so I didn’t bother to consult my GPS or Mapquest before leaving. Nearly an hour later, after many twists, turns, and cut-offs, I finally found my destination. If I had just gotten the directions beforehand, I would have quickly found out it was a few miles down the street from where I started, a journey that would have taken about 10 minutes maximum. I went in a complete circle when I could have just taken two turns and been there a lot quicker.
How many of us had situations such as these come up in life? We set out on a journey, or we encounter a task that we think we know the right way, and we may have become frustrated. We know there is a solution if we could only find it. We know there is a direction for where we need to go, but the answer seems to escape us. Our answer is in the Lord.
James 1:5 states,
“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.”
We can ask God for His wisdom, and He will not reprimand or scold us for asking.
We find an example of this in Scripture with King Jehoshaphat. King Jehoshaphat was the fourth king of Judah who was dealing with such a situation. The children of Ammon, Moab, and Mt. Seir were coming against Judah to battle. 2 Chronicles 20:3-4 states,
“And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.
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.”
When trouble came, King Jehoshaphat knew he needed help. When he encountered a situation where he did not know which way to go, he turned to the Lord for guidance. He didn’t assume that since he was king, that he knew what he should do. He humbled himself and asked for God’s assistance.
The Scripture goes on to say,
“And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, before the new court,
And said, O Lord God of our fathers, 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?
Art not thou our God, who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and gavest it to the seed of Abraham thy friend for ever?
And they dwelt therein, and have built thee a sanctuary therein for thy name, saying,
If, when evil cometh upon us, as the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we stand before this house, and in thy presence, (for thy name is in this house,) and cry unto thee in our affliction, then thou wilt hear and help.
And now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moab and mount Seir, whom thou wouldest not let Israel invade, when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them, and destroyed them not;
Behold, I say, how they reward us, to come to cast us out of thy possession, which thou hast given us to inherit.
O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee.” -2 Chronicles 20:5-12
King Jehoshaphat knew that when He cried out to God, He would hear and help. How could he say these things? Because he knew God’s character and nature was to help His children when they cried out in distress. Not only that, but he also knew that the Ammonites and Moabites and the children of Mt. Seir were trying to move them out of their godly inheritance, the land that God gave them. He knew what belonged to him.
After crying out to God, the Spirit of the Lord fell upon one of the Levites with the Word of the Lord:
“And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, 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.
To morrow go ye down against them: behold, they come up by the cliff of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the end of the brook, before the wilderness of Jeruel.
Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them: for the Lord will be with you.” – 2 Chronicles 20:15-17
Judah had her answer. What did they do next? They worshipped and they praised – before they went to battle. Then, they went ahead with what God showed them to do and won.
And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.
And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the Lord, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the Lord; for his mercy endureth for ever.
And when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten.” – 2 Chronicles 20:20-22
This is a great example in Scripture of what to do if we run into a situation that we have not encountered before or a situation where the answer is not immediately evident. God promises us in Proverbs 3:6 that when we acknowledge him in everything, He will direct us. So, be encouraged, friends! Continue to seek God – He does have your answer, and He will direct you as you acknowledge Him.
May God’s Grace Abundantly Reign In Your Life!
Elder Lisa Coleman
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