I Don’t Know What to Do
It’s easy to sympathize with King Jehoshaphat. His country was in dire peril and there seemed to be no way to escape. A huge alliance of Judah’s enemies was arrayed against him, and were aiming their forces toward Jerusalem.
The text tells us, “Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah.” (II Chronicles 20:3 NIV)
He then prays a heartfelt prayer to the God of Israel and ends it with these words: “We have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” (verse 12)
Many times when facing unbearable challenges that we lack the wherewithal to solve, we agonize and anguish over realities as we see them, and the only thing to do is cry out, “I don’t know what to do, but my eyes are on you.”
The good king models a great lesson here: When in dire need, don’t try to tell God how to do his job. Make the need known, admit your inability to deal with it, and then leave it in his capable hands.
The text shows that God in fact worked things out in his own way and time, and in a way that Jehoshaphat likely could not have anticipated. Don’t know what to do? Take your cue from King Jehoshaphat, then walk forward in faith with a song on your lips.
The text tells us, “Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah.” (II Chronicles 20:3 NIV)
He then prays a heartfelt prayer to the God of Israel and ends it with these words: “We have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” (verse 12)
Many times when facing unbearable challenges that we lack the wherewithal to solve, we agonize and anguish over realities as we see them, and the only thing to do is cry out, “I don’t know what to do, but my eyes are on you.”
The good king models a great lesson here: When in dire need, don’t try to tell God how to do his job. Make the need known, admit your inability to deal with it, and then leave it in his capable hands.
The text shows that God in fact worked things out in his own way and time, and in a way that Jehoshaphat likely could not have anticipated. Don’t know what to do? Take your cue from King Jehoshaphat, then walk forward in faith with a song on your lips.
