Faith – Part 5 — A ‘Time With God’ Audio Devotion

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Transcript

Good morning,

We’re talking all this week about faith and the difference it makes in our lives, and I want to take you to a story from the Old Testament that’s one of the most beautiful stories about faith. You know, in the Old Testament part of the Bible, the first half of the Bible, it’s full of stories of people from the nation of Israel who trusted God or disobeyed God and the consequences and results in their lives.

And in 2 Chronicles in the Old Testament chapter 20, there’s a story about a man named Jehoshaphat who was the leader of the people of Israel, the king. And here’s what happens in verse 2. It says – some men came and told Jehoshaphat, a great multitude is coming against you from Edom, from beyond the sea, and behold, they are in Engedi. Then Jehoshaphat was afraid.

Now, when you face terrible news or difficult circumstances or financial challenges or whatever kind of news you’re getting that’s bad, very often, your first reaction is just the natural human reaction, and that is panic.

And this is where Jehoshaphat was. And so often the reaction that really decides the situation is not your initial instinctive reaction, but the second reaction once you’ve had time to think about it. And here’s Jehoshaphat. He’s afraid, but then it says he set his face to seek the Lord and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah, so everyone’s not eating. They’re instead praying and asking God for His help. And Judah, this is the southern part of the nation of Israel, assembled to seek help from the Lord. From all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord. Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem in the house of the Lord before the new court and said, O Lord, God of our fathers.

By saying that, he is already making statements of faith cause he’s saying we’ve all heard the stories we’ve all read about all that you did for Abraham and Isaac and Jacob.

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And he goes on to say, are you not God in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. So he’s reminding himself of who God is that he trusts. In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you. Didn’t you drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham, your friend?

And so he goes on and reminds God of the promises that God has made and of God’s power in the past on their behalf. In verse 12, he says, 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.

This is a really healthy place to come to, to just admit and acknowledge God, I am clueless. How should I respond to this situation? I’m facing this challenge in my life, and I have no idea. I can’t see any way out of it, any way through it. I’m helpless. We are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but listen, here’s the statement of faith, but our eyes are on you. That is, we’re not staying focused on this problem we’re facing, on this challenge, on this struggle in our lives that we can’t see any way through.

Rather, our focus is on you, God, because we know if you don’t help us there’s no way through this. But as we think about what we know about you and what you’ve done for us in the past, we know we can trust you. And all of Judah stood before the Lord with their little ones, their wives, and their children, and the spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel, the son of Zechariah.

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. The chapter goes on to describe the miraculous way that God delivered Jehoshaphat and the people from this great horde that was coming against them.

Jehoshaphat had learned in life no matter what the circumstance, no matter how impossible it seems, if God is on your side, it is not hopeless. In fact, you can trust God and move forward with confidence. And as he put this situation in God’s hands, focused on God, put God first in his life. God responded to that faith. Now let me ask you, what do you need to trust God with today?

I’m John North.