How To Pray About Your Problem Series

HOW TO PRAY ABOUT YOUR PROBLEMS

II CHRONICLES 20:1-30

It is a fact that even believers have problems and challenges in their lives. Sometimes they seem to be perplexing and overwhelming. Let me ask you. How do you, as a believer, go about solving those problems and facing those challenges in your life which sometimes seem impossible?

This is what we will be dealing with this morning. In the passage of scripture that we have read, I believe we can find some truths that will helps us to handle our problems, in fact we will discover some truths that will help us to solve our problems through prayer. These will be truths you will want to remember because sooner or later there will be a time when you will need the super natural power of God to help you solve a problem.

II Chronicles 20:1-3, After this, the Moabites and Ammonites with some of the Meunites came to make war on Jehoshaphat. Some men came and told Jehoshaphat, ’A vast army is coming against you from Edom, from the other side of the Sea. It is already in Hazazon Tamar.’ Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah. In verse 6 he prays, O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you. In verse 14 we find that as they stood in the assembly the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel and he prophesied what God wanted Jehoshaphat to hear. Verse 17 gives us part of that prophesy, You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you. In verse 20 they met the enemy: Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful. Verse 29 says, The fear of God came upon all the kingdoms of the countries when they heard how the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel. And the kingdom of Jehoshaphat was at peace, for his God had given him rest on every side.

Jehoshaphat was King of Judah, the Southern Kingdom for about 25 years, and he was a good king. He was a righteous man who tried to bring about a revival of faith in God in the nation. He had an army of about a million men. On this particular occasion, he heard about the armies of the Moabites and the Ammonites coming together to do battle with Judah to drive them out of their land. And when he heard this, his first inclination was to be afraid. But notice quickly what he did. In verse 3 notice what he did when he was afraid. Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord and he proclaimed a fast for all of Judah.

I am sure there are some people here who are facing a crisis in their lives right now. I know without a shadow of a doubt that there are some who will face a challenge in the near future. When these challenges come our way, if we do not pray right or act right then our prayers and actions will be in vain. This is exactly why so many people pray but don’t seem to find an answer to their prayers. If you have come here today and you feel that way, maybe God has brought you here to discover why and how a person can pray about their problems and never get a solution. If you will study this passage of Scripture with me and abide by what you learn, I believe you can discover how you can pray and receive a solution to your dilemma. It begins with a question. Am I willing to abide by God’s solution, whatever that solution may be? I may have come to God with a preconceived notion of what the solution is and I have decided what God should do. If God would only cooperate with me, then everything would be OK. The problem with this is that God does not operate this way. So I want us to look at some truths for problem-solving that can be found in this passage of scripture.

A. When You Pray To God About Your Problems, You Need To Understand That He Cares About Your Problems

If we are not careful we will develop the attitude of the disciples when they were caught in a storm. Master, don’t you even care that we are all about to perish. ( Mark 4:38 ) You must understand that God does know about and cares about your problem. 1 Peter 5:7 Tells us that we can cast all of our cares on Him because He cares for us. Jehoshaphat knew and understood this truth. Therefore he could talk to God about his problem.