In The Mean Time Part 2
Scriptures: 2 Chronicles 20:1-26; Philippians 4:4-7
Introduction:
Last week I introduced this series by explaining how each of us are either getting ready to go through something; are currently going through something; or just came through something. Regardless of which situation we are in, there is a time when all we can do is think about the situation. During this time of waiting and contemplation, there is something that we should be doing. This is the time that I call “In the Mean Time.” It is what we do during this time that can dictate the outcome of what we are going through. Last week I talked about what we should do as we are preparing to go through. We looked at Matthew the sixth chapter. In verse thirty-three of that chapter, Jesus said “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” This is what we should be doing continuously – but especially when we are preparing to go through something. When we seek God first, we have the assurance that whatever we will be dealing with, He is there handling the situation. He is there ready to help and to deliver us. If we do this part right, what I am about to share with you today will be a lot easier. Remember: first seek God and His righteousness and then everything else will take care of itself and we will have the confidence that we need to go through any situation. This morning we will examine scripturally what we should be doing “in the mean time” while we are going through and also when we have come through to the other side. Turn with me to 2 Chronicles the 20th chapter.
I. Jehoshaphat’s Response As He Went Through
In 2 Chronicles the 20th chapter we find the story of Jehoshaphat when Judah was bout to be invaded. The earlier chapters of 2 Chronicles tell us of Jehoshaphat life and the fact that he had a humble heart and a secure relationship with God (he had done the first part right, he had sought out God and His righteousness). This relationship that he had with God was the foundation for his response to the situation he found himself in. When chapter 20 opens, we find these words: “Now it came about after this that the sons of Moab and the sons of Ammon, together with some of the Meunites, came to make war against Jehoshaphat.” Out of no where, without any warning, three nations joined together to start a war against Jehoshaphat and Judah. When Jehoshaphat learns of this impending attack through his servants he became alarmed. The first thing he did was seek out God through a fast. Verse 3 says “Jehoshaphat was afraid and turned his attention to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.” The first thing that he did was seek out God through prayer. He focused on God and not his problem. He could do this because of the relationship that he had with God. Jehoshaphat decided within himself to go directly to God for advice. He also called upon the people to fast. (Sometimes eating can be a comfort during times of stress.) But if you are truly seeking God, this might would be a good time to fast instead. Jehoshaphat went to God in prayer. He focused on God immediately and not on the impending attackers.
Now notice what took place in verse 4. Verse 4 says, “So Judah gathered together to seek help from the Lord; they even came from all the cities of Judah to seek the Lord.” In this verse we see all of the people coming together to seek God. Although they were entering into a time of battle, everyone turned their face to God. Understand that when you are going through it is a good thing to ask others to intercede with you. Jehoshaphat had all of the people calling out to God. Now we come to the part when we get a glimpse of how secure Jehoshaphat was in his relationship with God. Look at what he says in verses 6-9; “And he said, ‘O Lord , the God of our fathers, are You not God in the heavens? And are You not ruler over all the kingdoms of the nations? Power and might are in Your hand so that no one can stand against You. Did You not, O our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel and give it to the descendants of Abraham, Your friend forever? They have lived in it, and have built You a sanctuary there for Your name, saying, Should evil come upon us, the sword, or judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house and before You (for Your name is in this house) and cry to You in our distress, and You will hear and deliver us.” In these verses, Jehoshaphat, in the midst of all the people of Judah, reminds the Lord of His covenant relationship with Israel. He wanted the people to know what he already knew, that the Lord would keep His promise. In reminding God of His promise, he begins by asking God questions. These questions implied the following in reference to the sons of Moab who was preparing to attack them: “How dare they come against us when we serve the God who is in control. God do they know understand that it is you who we serve and it is you who will protect us? How dare they come against You!” When you are in such a tight relationship with God, there will be times when you go through something and you will wonder, “Don’t these people understand whom I serve?”
As we read verse 9, we see that Jehoshaphat speaking in confidence, for the people had already taken a stand for what they believed. He, nor they, were wavering or unsure about what he is saying, they believed and expected that God would deliver. The last sentence he tells God …(we) will cry out to You in our distress and You WILL hear and save us.” He was not asking God, he was reminding God of what He has already promised. This kind of acknowledgement takes place between two people who are in a committed relationship where promises are made and are expected to be kept. Do not misunderstand what Jehoshaphat was saying when he said “You will hear and save us.” He was not giving God a command to tell God what God was going to do; he was speaking from a viewpoint of knowledge; he knew what God was going to do based on their relationship with Him so he was only speaking in the confidence of someone who knew and understood the heart of God.
We too have such promises. 1 John 3:1 says “See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God….” Ephesians 1:13-14 says “…..you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise. Who is given as a pledge of your inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.” Colossians 1:13-14 says “For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” Finally, Hebrews 4:16 says “Therefore, let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in the time of need.” All of these verses speak to our position with God through Christ. They speak of the promises that we have been given because we are now Children of God. In order to fully understand and walk in these promises, we must do what we talked about last week – seek out God and His righteousness. This seeking will cause us to develop a relationship with God which will give us the confidence to go through anything. Because of our relationship with God, we can come before Him just as Jehoshaphat did, with extreme confidence. When you are going through a situation, this is not the time to come before God wondering if He is going to bring you through. This is the time, based on your relationship with Him, to come boldly before Him letting Him know that you believe and understand what you mean to Him and therefore you know that God is going to take care of you in your current situation. We do not have to know how He will do it; we just need to know that He will fulfill His promise to us. When we acknowledge God for who He is AND we understand who we are in Him, we can be like Jehoshaphat and come before Him with confidence. When we come to God in confidence, we acknowledge that He’s the only one who can help us, who can rescue us, who can restore us.
Look down at verse 12. It says, “O our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you.” Have you ever been in a situation where you really did not know what to do or there was nothing you could do? This is especially bad when you are the leader and everyone is looking to you to give the direction. There have been many decisions that have been made that were wrong because the person making the decision refused to acknowledge that he/she did not know what to do. In this situation, Jehoshaphat did something that most leaders would never consider doing. He said before all of the people that they could not win this fight and that he did not know what to do. When the leader stands up and says that there is no hope of winning, the normal response is that the people lose hope. What Jehoshaphat said was that they could not win it and he did not know what to do – SO they were turning to God. In the midst of this unexpected attack, he knew enough to turn to God. One translation says, “and we are at a loss on what to do; but our eyes are upon You.” When we are going through a situation, we must turn it over to God and allow Him to work it out. Remember the song “Jesus will work it out – if you let Him”? Sometimes we forget that we must allow God to work it out and to do this, again, we must believe in the relationship we have with Him.
Once Jehoshaphat and the people were finished crying out to God, God spoke his answer through the son of Zechariah. Look at what God says in verse 15; “He said: Listen King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the Lord says to you; “Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s. The New American Bible renders the last part of this verse as “Do not fear or lose heart at the sight of this vast multitude, for the battle is not yours but God’s.” Have you ever noticed that it is the things that are seen that causes us the most trouble? This was the case with Jehoshaphat, they saw the large army. God told them not to be discouraged because of what they saw. He was asking them to use the “unseen” faith (in Him) to deal with the seen (the army). When Jehoshaphat heard this, he dismissed his fears, not because they were not real, but because he had made a deliberate decision to put his trust in the living God. When we act in faith, we make a conscious decision not to fear. When we act in faith, we turn our faces away from the problem towards the Lord and His promises. In verses sixteen and seventeen, God tells them that not only will He deliver them, but they will not even have to enter the conflict – they would not have to enter the battle. Can you see this? The situations we are all going through, God is more than able to handle it, all we have to do is to walk through them, not stressing or fretting or wondering what if – but walk through knowing that God is in control and will deliver. When they heard this, they began to praise God.
There is one more point about I want to stress from this story. Look down at the verses 21-22: “When he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who sang to the Lord and those who praised Him in holy attire, as they went out before the army and said, ‘Give thanks to the Lord, for His lovingkindness is everlasting.’ When they began singing and praising, the Lord set ambushes against the sons of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; so they were routed (struck down).” Did you see what took place? When they began to praise and worship God, God went into action. The enemy became so confused, that they turned on themselves and slaughtered each other. We sing songs that say “When praises go up, blessings come down” and that is exactly what happened in this instance.
Let me close out this story so that you fully understand what we should be doing while we are going through and when we come through to the other side. In this story, Judah was being attacked by a very large army. There was nothing they could do about it. They immediately turned to God, knowing that because of the relationship they had with Him, He would deliver them. They went before Him, seeking His help and then began to offer up praise and worship. God not only came to their rescue, but he did so in such a way that they did not have to fight at all. When the fight was over, all they had to do was walk into the midst of the battle field and collect the spoils – as much as they could take. That is God people! He will bring you through all things and reward you at the end.
II. What To Do When We’re Going Through and After Going Through
I want to make this as simple as possible. When you are going through something, go to God in prayer with confidence that based on your relationship with Him, He will bring you through the situation. While you are going through and when you have come through, praise and worship Him. Praising and worshipping God while you are going through increases you confidence that he is going to deliver you. Praising and worshiping God after you have come through gives you the confirmation that not only were your prayers answered, they were answers without you worrying because you were too busy praising and worshipping God. Philippians 4:4-7 really puts this into perspective. It says: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Paul says that we should always be rejoicing – in all things. He says that we should not worry about anything, but in everything, go before God in prayer, with humility and thanksgiving making our request known before Him. First there is rejoicing: before you go through, while you’re going through and once you have come through. Then while you are rejoicing (in all things) you bring your requests before God in prayer. This prayer is made with humility and with thanksgiving. Now you may be wondering, how cab we go before God in confidence and humility at the same time? Doesn’t confidence cancel out humility? Absolutely not! Do not mistake confidence with boastfulness. You can have confidence in your relationship with God, knowing that when you make a request of Him He will hear and answer while at the same time coming before Him with humility. It is about the relationship.
Now here is what I really want to stress to all of you who are like me and going through right now. When we go before God with our prayers in confidence, knowing that He will answer them so we can always be rejoicing, the Bible says that the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension (understanding) will guard your hearts and minds. When we are going through anything, because we go before God with thanksgiving knowing He will answer our prayer, He gives us His peace. Now His peace does exactly what the Scripture says it does, it makes people wonder. God’s peace cannot be understood. People will wonder how you can sleep at night when you’re facing what you’re facing. People will wonder how you can smile in the midst of everything you are dealing with. People will wonder how, how, how and you will be able to tell them, “It is the peace of God which is guarding my heart and my mind and therefore I cannot worry about this for He has it under control.”
Conclusion
If you are currently preparing to go through something; or if you are already going through: or if you just came through, what are you doing with your “in the mean time”? Are you seeking God’s kingdom and His righteousness? Are you working on your relationship with Him? Are you able to go before Him with praise, thanksgiving and worship as you make your request known? Do you have the confidence that God is not only hearing you but is actively going to work on your behalf? If you cannot answer each of these questions in the affirmative, you have the opportunity today to make a change. God wants a personal relationship with each of us. He wants you to know He is there fore you. He wants you to know that He is listening. Come before Him, open your mouths and praise Him with thanksgiving and watch your world begin to change. May God bless and keep you is my prayer.
