When You Don't Know What To Do (HELD Series)

Show Notes:

There are times in life when our course of action is clear. There are other times when fear is palpable, and we have no idea what to do. Maybe you're in a situation like that right now. I certainly have been in recent days. Today, we're going to look at a story about one of those times when we look around and we have no idea what to do.

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Transcript

Teresa Whiting: 1:04

There are times in life when our course of action is clear and there are other times when fear is palpable and we have no idea what to do. Maybe you're in a situation like that right now. I certainly have been in recent days. I recorded this episode a few months ago when things were really challenging. And it's interesting because I noticed that there is an ebb and flow to life. We go through really hard seasons and then they get a little better, then they get hard again and I think that's just life. It's like the tide or the changing seasons. Things come and go, and don't you just love that.

Teresa Whiting: 1:44

God's Word has stories for all kinds of seasons. Today we're going to look at a story about one of those times when we look around and we have no idea what to do. I remember the first time I heard this story from Second Chronicles 20. It was shortly before the pandemic hit and I had never noticed this story before. I've read through the Bible multiple times in my life and I really was shocked that this is a story that I had read and didn't remember, and since then it has become one of my absolute favorite Bible stories. It has helped me through all kinds of seasons.

Teresa Whiting: 2:27

If you've been listening along, you know that these past months have been a really hard and heavy season in my life personally and in the lives of many of my family members. We've seen death and cancer and family dynamics that are really difficult to walk through and there have been so many days where I just feel, like God, I don't know what to do, like I look at a situation that seems so beyond my control. I've said to my husband it's ironic because my podcast is called Find Hope here and there have been situations over these last months that I have said I don't see the hope in this situation. And this past week in my Sunday school class at church we were studying this passage and it reminded me that, oh, it's not about me, it's not about my family, it's not about the circumstance we're facing, it's about God. And it reminded me to stop focusing on the issue that's pressing and the things that I'm struggling with and to focus on God and who he is and His power and His might and His presence in this situation. Hi, friend, you're listening to Find Hope here.

Teresa Whiting: 3:55

I'm your host, teresa Whiting. Author, speaker, ministry leader, friend and fellow-struggler. This is a podcast about the messy, complicated, painful parts of life, but also the beautiful, joy-filled hope that Jesus promises. Each week we dig deep into God's word together and talk about how His truth impacts our everyday lives. I'm not going to ask you to sit with me and have coffee, because I seem to have my best conversations while I'm just doing life. So I'd love to hang out with you as you walk or fold laundry or drive to work. You're invited to join me in pursuing the hope God promises, no matter where you are or where you've been. I pray you always find hope here.

Teresa Whiting: 4:46

Let's jump in to today's episode. I'm going to start by reading the story in 2 Chronicles 20. And throughout I'm going to stop and make commentary, because this is a story that we all need to know and take comfort in. After this, the Moabites and Ammonites, and with them some of the Muinites, came against Jehoshaphat for battle. Some men came and told Jehoshaphat a great multitude is coming against you from Edom, from beyond the sea. And behold, they are in Hazizan Tamar, that is, in Geti. Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the Lord and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah and Judah assembled to seek help from the Lord. From all the cities of Judah, they came to seek the Lord. So basically, what happens is there are some messengers that are sent to King Jehoshaphat and they tell him there are enemies on the move, they're on their way and they're almost here. And Jehoshaphat his response he was afraid.

Teresa Whiting: 5:55

It says Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the Lord and proclaimed a fast, and I love that. I love that it says he was afraid, because so often we look at situations in our lives, we look at things that are beyond our control and we're afraid, and sometimes we think, oh, I shouldn't be afraid. How weak is my faith, what's wrong with me? But no, like fear is a very real and valid emotion, and so if there are things in your life that are scary, that are beyond your control, I just want to remind you that it's okay to be afraid, but I love it that he was afraid and and in his fear he set his face to seek the Lord. Oh, and I love that idea of turning our face toward the Lord. You know that those who look to him are radiant and their faces shall never be covered in shame. So what he did was he turned his face to seek the Lord. That word seek means to ask, beg beseech inquire request. He was desperate. He said I am terrified, but in in my fear, I'm not just going to go into the spiral. You know the spiral of what if and then this, oh and then this is going to happen and you go into that deep, dark hole of pretty soon you're living on the streets in a cardboard box and I don't know, maybe you guys don't do that, but I can kind of spiral out of control. But in his fear he turned his face to seek the Lord and fast and under his leadership, despite his fear, all of his contraband came to seek help from the Lord. All right, let's see what happens.

Teresa Whiting: 7:41

Verse five and Jeho Shaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord before the new court and said Okay. So now he's praying. Listen to this prayer, listen to the focus of his prayer. Oh Lord, god of our fathers, are you not God in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations in your hand, our power and might, so that none is able to withstand you? Did you not, our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people, israel, and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham, your friend, and they have lived in it and have built for you, in it, a sanctuary for your name, saying if disaster comes upon us, the sword, judgment or pestilence or famine, we will stand before this house and before you, for your name is in this house, and cry out to you in our affliction, and you will hear and save. And now, behold the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Sayyar, whom you would not let Israel invade when they came from the land of Egypt and whom they avoided and did not destroy. Behold, they reward us by coming out to drive us out of your possession, which you have given us to inherit. Oh, our God, will you not execute judgment on them? And then here comes my favorite line, for we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you. Did you notice that, through that prayer, jehoshaphat wasn't talking about the army or the enemy that was coming against them as far as their power and their might and their strength, or he wasn't talking about the weakness of Israel or the inadequacy of his army. His focus was on God, god's power, your power, your rule, your hand, your might. We're gonna cry out to you and you will hear and save.

Teresa Whiting: 10:02

I have been challenged to cry out to God out loud, like with my voice. Often I always used to pray just kind of silently in my head. But looking at scripture, I see so often through the Psalms and through the Old Testament, this idea of crying out with my voice to God. And it says over and over that he heard my cry. He heard my cry, he sees my tears. I love that. I love to know that when I am crying out to God, when I am in tears, it's not falling on deaf ears. God sees, he hears, he knows he is doing something, even if I don't know what he's doing, even if I don't understand it or I don't see it. Yet it's such a comfort to me to know that he sees and he hears. And then that last verse that I read we do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you. What a beautiful place to fix our eyes when we don't know what to do. Often, when I don't know what to do, I can think of a lot of places that I set my eyes or my attention or my focus, but I want that to be my go-to, that when I don't know what to do, that when a situation is coming into my life that is that I am powerless to control, that I will turn my face to seek the Lord and that I will set my eyes on him.

Teresa Whiting: 11:34

Okay, so let's continue the story. And this is where they're kind of setting the scene and showing us in picture what is happening. So I'm in verse 13,. Meanwhile, all Judah stood before the Lord with their little ones, their wives and their children. So this isn't just the king and his rulers. I mean, you've got families there. You've got moms holding babies, you've got their little kids holding on to their legs, you've got. I want you to picture the scene where there is a multitude of people, a nation of people that are about to be attacked, and they have been seeking the Lord, they have set their faces toward him.

Teresa Whiting: 12:20

Verse 14,. And the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jehaziel, the son of Zachariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jail, son of Matnaiah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly, and he said Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, and King Jehoshaphat. Thus says the Lord to you Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God's. Tomorrow, go down against them. Behold, they will come up by the ascent of Ziz. You will find them at the end of the valley east of the wilderness of Gerald. You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf. O Judah and Jerusalem, do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow, go out against them and the Lord will be with you. So they're standing there with their families, their wives, their babies, their children, and God raises up a prophet who is able to speak on his behalf, and his words are Don't be afraid and don't be dismayed and that word dismayed literally means terrified, for this is not your battle, it's God's battle and you don't need to fight it. Just stand and hold your position and you're going to see God's victory on your behalf. You're going to go out against them, but you're not going out alone. The Lord will be with you and it's his presence, that's what gives us victory, is his presence. This story I'm telling you, guys. It just keeps getting better and better.

Teresa Whiting: 14:39

Verse 18,. Then Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the Lord, worshiping the Lord. And the Levites of the Kohathites and the Korahites stood up to praise the Lord, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice. They heard God's word, they heard his message. They were told don't be afraid, don't be terrified, god is going to be with you. And what was their response? They bowed, they went face down in worship. They stood up and praised God with a loud voice. And here's what jumps out at me in this passage right here, is that they worshiped God. They praised him before the victory. They praised him in anticipation of the victory because they believed him. They knew that he was going to do what he said Verse 20,.

Teresa Whiting: 16:20

And when they began to sing and praise, the Lord said an ambush against the men of Ammon, moab and Mount Sayyar who had come against Judah so that they were routed, for the men of Ammon and Moab rose against the inhabitants of Mount Sayyar, devoting them to destruction. And when they had made an end of that, inhabitants of Sayyar, they all helped to destroy one another. But did you see that battle strategy? The King appointed worshipers to sing and praise God, saying give thanks to the Lord for his steadfast love, his hesed love, that kindness, that goodness, it endures forever. And it was their singing and their praise that led the way. And it says when they began to sing and praise, the Lord said an ambush against the enemies.

Teresa Whiting: 17:16

I may have mentioned before how much I love the song Raise a Hallelujah. There is a line in that song that says my weapon is a melody. That song reminds me that there is power in singing and praising God and lifting up his name and seeking his face and turning my face toward him and saying God, I don't know what to do, but my eyes are on you and my eyes aren't just on you. They're worshiping you, they're praising you. I'm going to sing to you, I'm going to lift my voice, even though I am afraid, even though I feel completely out of control in this situation, and I'm going to read the end of the story.

Teresa Whiting: 18:03

When Judah came to the watchtower of the wilderness, they looked toward the horde and behold, there were dead bodies lying on the ground. None had escaped. When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take their spoil, they found among them, in great numbers, goods, clothing and precious things which they took for themselves until they could carry no more. They were three days in taking the spoil, it was so much. On the fourth day, they assembled in the Valley of Barakah, or the Valley of Blessing, for they blessed the Lord. Therefore, the name of that place has been called the Valley of Blessing to this day. Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem and Jehoshaphat at their head, returning to Jerusalem with joy, for the Lord had made them rejoice over their enemies. They came to Jerusalem with harps and liars and trumpets to the house of the Lord, and the fear of God came on all the kingdoms of the countries when they heard that the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel. So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet, for his God gave him rest all around. Not only did God answer their prayer and protect them and fight their battle for them, he gave them three days worth of spoil of blessing. And what was their response? More worship, more music, more singing, more celebrating God's goodness.

Teresa Whiting: 19:39

It said that the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet, for his God gave him rest all around. And those words, quiet and rest, it has that idea of being undisturbed, settled down, the whole idea of being still. There was rest, there was stillness during his reign and it says the fear of God came on all the kingdoms. This reminds me of Psalm 46-10, which says Be still and know that I am God. It's that same idea of being quiet, of ceasing, of having rest. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. It's like God is saying I can take care of myself and I can take care of you, and you can be still, you can rest.

Teresa Whiting: 20:38

If you read Psalm 46, the context is not some quiet little meadow, it's the context of war, it's a battle. It says God is our refuge and strength, a very present help and trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. And then later it talks about the nations raging and the kingdoms tottering and wars and bows and spears and chariots. It's a picture of chaos and upheaval. Ironically, as I am recording this, we are preparing for a hurricane to hit. I live in Florida now and so hurricanes are an occasional thankfully occasional part of my life.

Teresa Whiting: 21:34

But what a comfort it is just to read this this morning that it says you know, though its waters roar and foam and though the mountains tremble at its swelling, you know the news that has been coming nonstop is just how dangerous this storm is, how much damage it's going to create, how many terrible things are going to happen. Really, it's kind of a time where people start panicking. You know that everything is disappearing from the shelves at the stores, people are lined up at the gas stations and I'm not saying we shouldn't be prepared. I think it's wise to prepare. But what's happening in our heart? Are we living in fear? Are we trembling? Or are we being still and knowing that God is on his throne, that he is with us, that he is going to be with us no matter what happens?

Teresa Whiting: 22:28

So, going back to 2 Chronicles 20, we look at that and we say we are powerless. We're powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. Here's my question what is the great horde that is coming against you at this moment? What kind of enemies are attacking you right now? And most likely that's not going to be physical enemies. I imagine most of us don't have people, armies, that are coming against us, but we do have spiritual enemies. We have fears that threaten to overwhelm us. We have relational difficulties, hard family dynamics, sins that have been committed against us or that we have committed that are really now reaping tragic consequences, and we look at these situations and we're like God. I don't know what to do, but my eyes are on you and I know that you are with me in this season. I know that you are going to walk with me through this and because of that, I'm going to lift my voice. I'm going to set my face to seek you, I'm going to lift my voice in prayer, I'm going to cry out to you and I'm going to sing your praise.

Teresa Whiting: 23:51

I notice the different postures of the people that are seeking God. They're standing up and praising Him, they are on their faces, bowing down before Him. They're crying out, they're singing, they are standing firm and holding their position and their confidence is in the fact that God is with them. And that's us guys, that's our confidence. I don't know what you're going through Right now. You might be crying out. You might be on the floor with your head to the ground. You might be, your eyes might be streaming with tears. You might be standing up, singing praise, lifting your hands.

Teresa Whiting: 24:35

Wherever you are, whatever position you're in, I want to remind you that God is with you, that you can give thanks to the Lord because His steadfast love is with you in this. It endures forever. It's yours, it's yours to hold onto, it's yours to believe in and have confidence in. And sometimes it's really hard because we think I don't see it, I don't see that steadfast love playing out. So I just want to remind you and encourage you to believe in the Lord, your God, to believe His word, to believe that he is good and he is doing good and that he is with you right now, in whatever you're facing, when you don't know what to do, he is with you. He hears your prayers, he sees your tears and he is holding you with a love that will not let go. Before I sign off, I wanted to let you know a couple things. First of all, I have a playlist, a couple playlists on my website that I have designed for moments like this, for moments when we don't even know what to say, what to sing. I have created a couple different playlists that you can just press play and they will direct your heart and your mind to turning your face toward God.

Teresa Whiting: 26:09

Thanks for hanging out with me today on Find Hope here. To find anything I mentioned on today's episode, go to teresawitingcom slash listen, which is where you can find all the show notes. And I'm wondering have you been listening to Find Hope here for a while? Have you left a five star rating yet and a review? Because that is how we spread the word about this podcast. Other people will be able to find this podcast if it gets a lot of ratings and reviews. So that's the thing I'm asking of you today if you could leave a five star rating and a review. And for those of you who are new, I also have a link to my Bible study Grace how God redeems and restores the broken. If you haven't seen that yet, I would love for you to check that out. It's available on Amazon now. In closing, I'd like to leave you with this prayer from Romans 15, 13. May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that, by the power of the Holy Spirit, you may abound in hope.