Irvin Wasswa- Tylertown Campus Pastor LHBC
2 Chronicles 20:12
“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.”
Have you ever been in a place of helplessness? I remember my second to last quarter of college, I took a class in my major that was by far the hardest class I had ever taken in my degree program. We had several assignments, but we had one test that we had to pass in order to pass the class. The good news is that we had two cracks at it. The bad news is that I failed the first time by a few points.
I remember the feeling I had leading up to the test…It was terrible. All I could do was study hard but I was at the mercy of the test. The retest day came and let me tell you, I was a nervous wreck to say the least. The stakes were high on multiple fronts. This particular class was only offered once a year so if I failed the test I would have to wait a whole year to take the class again. I had family coming in from literally all over the world to see me graduate in a few months, so I had to do well on the test! So much pressure! By God’s grace I passed the test by a whole 5 points and ended up graduating college on time, but I will never forget that feeling of helplessness I felt.
King Jehoshaphat of Judah found himself in a similar spot of helplessness in 2 Chronicles 20. The Bible says that the king and his army found themselves surrounded by several enemy forces looking to strike down he and his army. In verse 3 it says that King J was fearful and responded by going to the Lord in prayer. In verses 6-12 it describes his prayer, but the second part of verse 12 is what is powerful. In the midst of the helplessness he felt, in the midst of the fear, he chose to look up. WOW! His response to the trouble he was in was to look to the Lord!
King J. found himself in a bad place, but he believed in a big God. He was in a state of hopelessness but saw the Lord as his help and shield (Psalm 33:20). Quick question for you this morning—where do you turn when your life is a mess? Let me encourage you to turn to the God of the Universe. He will bring that lasting comfort in the trouble that bottle cannot bring. He will bring that peace that substance or website cannot and will not bring. He will bring that encouragement and assurance that self-help book cannot bring! In times of trouble, look up to the One who sees you (Genesis 16:13) and desires to meet you where you are!
Though it seems as though your life is crashing down in front of you, look up to the Creator who wants to hold you together. May you choose to model the example set by King J this morning: in the lowest of valleys, run to the God of the universe who loves you and is with you in the difficult seasons of life.
By the way, if you read the rest of Chapter 20 you see God’s faithfulness played out. He provided the help that they needed in defeating the enemy armies and delivering Judah from their helpless position. Aren’t you glad that when we were helpless, dead in our sin, God sent His Son Jesus to be our deliverance? (Romans 5:6) Listen, God is faithful and He is always on time! Choose to look up to Him to be your help today!
PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Lord, Thank you for loving me! Thank you for the Gospel! I pray that in times of desperation I would turn to You for my help, trusting that You are able to meet me where I am. Thank you for Your faithfulness! Amen!
MEMORY VERSE OF THE WEEK:
Psalm 62:8
“Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.”