Thursday, June 15, 2023
O our God, will you not execute judgment on them? 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.
2 Chronicles 20:12
When You Don’t Know What To Do…
Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you just didn’t know what to do? We have to make a lot of decisions every day and sometimes decision overload can wear us out. Other times, there are just too many options. Trying to order a cup of coffee in a coffee shop can be overwhelming if you don’t know exactly what you want. Making a decision about what kind of coffee to order is not going to change your life, but there are times when we have to make decisions that will change our lives and will directly affect the lives of those around us.
King Jehoshaphat was in a situation where he needed to make a decision that would affect many people and he didn’t know what to do.
During the rule of King Jehoshaphat, a huge army of Moabites, Ammonites, and Edomites from across the Dead Sea declared war on the southern kingdom of Judah. King Jehoshaphat was justifiably alarmed, so he proclaimed a fast and called the people to the temple, where he prayed to the Lord.
When Jehoshaphat prayed to the Lord, he told Him that Judah was powerless against this huge army and they did not know what to do. As King, it was Jehoshaphat’s responsibility to make the decision about what to do in circumstances like this and he was afraid. Not knowing what to do can cause us to be fearful - especially in the face of danger. But Jehoshaphat did the best thing right away - he prayed about it, confessing his feelings and saying that their eyes were on God.
When we find ourselves in a situation where we don’t know what to do, often we look everywhere else except to God. We try to solve the problem ourselves, we ask advice from all our friends, or we google it. We need to follow Jehoshaphat’s example and pray first, keeping our eyes on the Lord.
We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on You…
What we think about God is what we will believe to be true about Him and what we believe about Him will determine how we handle our faith in Him. If deep down we really don’t believe in His power and sovereignty, we won’t have the faith in Him that will help us through any situation we face. He offers all the power and strength and answers we need, but we have to believe in Him, turn to Him and trust Him.
How do you perceive God? Right now is the time to decide what you think about God. And when those uncertain circumstances come, instead of making decisions based on what we feel, we need to turn to God and remember what we know about Him to be true. That is what we hang onto when we don’t know what to do.
How we see God matters. The world has been shaken up for the last several years, and people are still searching. Now is the time to be an example to the rest of the world, a living testimony of what we believe about God. When we come into these difficult decision-making times and uncertainty, the world will be watching to see how we handle it. If we say you believe in God - His sovereignty and power, then we need to be ready to live it.
There will be times in life when it feels as if God has walked away from us but if we remember what God has done in the past and anticipate what He will do for us in the future, we can have peace in the present. We need to put our eyes on Him and not let our focus stray. We must keep our eyes on Him always. Some of these seasons last what feels like forever. It is important not to tire of waiting on God and go in search of another solution. There is never a better solution than the one He offers. Pray. Tell Him how you are feeling. Then fix your eyes on Him and keep them there.
