FACING THE IMPOSSIBLE
What are the impossible situations that you are facing today? I have good news for you my friend: You don’t have to panic! You don’t have to give up! You don’t have to close your eyes to ignore the problem and pretend that they do not exist! Let us read our text today.
Exo 14:9 So the Egyptians pursued them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen and his army, and overtook them camping by the sea beside Pi Hahiroth, before Baal Zephon.
Exo 14:10 And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to the LORD.
Exo 14:11 Then they said to Moses, "Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt?
Exo 14:12 "Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, ’Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians?’ For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness."
Exo 14:13 And Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever.
Exo 14:14 "The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace."
On the above reading from the scripture, we found the people of God facing the impossible situation. On their back are the enemies marching to take them. On their left and right are tower of rocks and desert while on their front is the Red Sea. They are literally surrounded by big problems and they have little time to think and find the solution for their escape.
Risk Management Expert may give some suggestions:
1. Lift the surrender banner before the enemy could kill all of them
2. Take chances by quickly mobilizing the people to fight back the enemy
3. Delay their capture by hiding on the rocks or running on the desert.
However, God through His prophet Moses gave the threefold solution and it is completely different from the human stand point. Moses speaks the word of God to the people:
Exo 14:13 And Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever.
Exo 14:14 "The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace."
GOD’S THREEFOLD FORMULA TO FACE THE IMPOSSIBLE:
I. DO NOT BE AFRAID – (No need to surrender)
I.I. STAND STILL – (No need to fight back)
III. SEE THE SALVATION OF THE LORD (No need to hide)
We all know that it is not an easy thing to relax in the face of danger; It seems not practical to do nothing in time of distress or expect that something good is going to happen when all what you can see are darkness everywhere.
My friend,
1. You cannot overcome your fear unless you bring the problem to God in PRAYER.
2. You cannot stand still and hold your peace unless you learn to trust everything on the POWER OF GOD.
3. You cannot visualize the salvation of the Lord unless you immerse yourself in PRAISE AND WORSHIP.
These are the 3 important things; the secret so you can do what Moses has commanded to God’s people. Yes you need these three important weapons to overcome the impossible.
• PRAYER
• POWER OF GOD
• PRAISE AND WORSHIP
When the impossible situation struck the people of God, the Prophet of God reveal the specific things to do.
I. DON’T PANIC BUT BRING THE PROBLEM TO GOD IN PRAYER (“Do not be afraid”)
I.I. DO NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM BY YOUR SELF BUT TRUST IN THE POWER OF GOD.(Stand still”)
III. DO NOT COMPLAIN BUT VISUALIZE THE VICTORY THROUGH PRAISE AND WORSHIP (“See the salvation of the Lord”)
Pray, Trust in the power of God, Praise and Worship Him. These are simple things to do. But are these things proven to work to solve the most complicated situations in life?
To answer this question, let us put these three weapons in a true to life acid test. Let us use the national danger that Israel had faced during the reign of Jehoshaphat.
THE NATIONAL DANGER:
2Ch 20:1 After this, the armies of the Moabites, Ammonites, and some of the Meunites declared war on Jehoshaphat.
2Ch 20:2 Messengers came and told Jehoshaphat, "A vast army from Edom is marching against you from beyond the Dead Sea. They are already at Hazazon-tamar." (This was another name for En-gedi.)
In the above scripture text, we found once again Israel on national danger. They are actually facing three different groups of people: The Moabites, the Ammonites and the Meunites. Here we will see if the Threefold weapon that we mention above is going to work on them.
FACING THE IMPOSSIBLE: THEY USE THE WEAPON OF PRAYER
2Ch 20:3 Jehoshaphat was alarmed by this news and sought the LORD for guidance. He also gave orders that everyone throughout Judah should observe a fast.
2Ch 20:4 So people from all the towns of Judah came to Jerusalem to seek the LORD.
2Ch 20:5 Jehoshaphat stood before the people of Judah and Jerusalem in front of the new courtyard at the Temple of the LORD.
2Ch 20:6 He prayed, "O LORD, God of our ancestors, you alone are the God who is in heaven. You are ruler of all the kingdoms of the earth. You are powerful and mighty; no one can stand against you!
2Ch 20:12 O our God, won’t you stop them? We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to attack us. We do not know what to do, but we are looking to you for help."
2Ch 20:13 As all the men of Judah stood before the LORD with their little ones, wives, and children,
FACING THE IMPOSSIBLE: THEY STAND STILL AND TRUST ON THE POWER OF GOD
2Ch 20:14 the Spirit of the LORD came upon one of the men standing there. His name was Jahaziel son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, a Levite who was a descendant of Asaph.
2Ch 20:15 He said, "Listen, King Jehoshaphat! Listen, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the LORD says: Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.
2Ch 20:16 Tomorrow, march out against them. You will find them coming up through the ascent of Ziz at the end of the valley that opens into the wilderness of Jeruel.
2Ch 20:17 But you will not even need to fight. Take your positions; then stand still and watch the LORD’S victory. He is with you, O people of Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or discouraged. Go out there tomorrow, for the LORD is with you!"
FACING THE IMPOSSIBLE: THEY PRAISE AND WORSHIP GOD
2Ch 20:18 Then King Jehoshaphat bowed down with his face to the ground. And all the people of Judah and Jerusalem did the same, worshiping the LORD.
2Ch 20:19 Then the Levites from the clans of Kohath and Korah stood to praise the LORD, the God of Israel, with a very loud shout.
2Ch 20:20 Early the next morning the army of Judah went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. On the way Jehoshaphat stopped and said, "Listen to me, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Believe in the LORD your God, and you will be able to stand firm. Believe in his prophets, and you will succeed."
2Ch 20:21 After consulting the leaders of the people, the king appointed singers to walk ahead of the army, singing to the LORD and praising him for his holy splendor. This is what they sang: "Give thanks to the LORD; his faithful love endures forever!"
THE VALLEY OF BLESSING: THE RESULT OF PRAYER, POWER OF GOD AND PRAISE
2Ch 20:22 At the moment they began to sing and give praise, the LORD caused the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir to start fighting among themselves.
2Ch 20:23 The armies of Moab and Ammon turned against their allies from Mount Seir and killed every one of them. After they had finished off the army of Seir, they turned on each other.
2Ch 20:24 So when the army of Judah arrived at the lookout point in the wilderness, there were dead bodies lying on the ground for as far as they could see. Not a single one of the enemy had escaped.
2Ch 20:25 King Jehoshaphat and his men went out to gather the plunder. They found vast amounts of equipment, clothing, and other valuables-more than they could carry. There was so much plunder that it took them three days just to collect it all!
2Ch 20:26 On the fourth day they gathered in the Valley of Blessing, which got its name that day because the people praised and thanked the LORD there. It is still called the Valley of Blessing today.
2Ch 20:27 Then they returned to Jerusalem, with Jehoshaphat leading them, full of joy that the LORD had given them victory over their enemies.
You can use the weapons that God has given us to face the impossible. PRAYER! FAITH ON THE POWER OF GOD! PRAISE AND WORSHIP!
Next time you face the impossible, you know what to do:
I. DON’T PANIC BUT BRING THE PROBLEM TO GOD IN PRAYER (“Do not be afraid”)
I.I. DO NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM BY YOUR SELF BUT TRUST IN THE POWER OF GOD.(Stand still”)
III. DO NOT COMPLAIN BUT VISUALIZE THE VICTORY THROUGH PRAISE AND WORSHIP (“See the salvation of the Lord”)
God gave us assurance by His word:
Jer 32:27 "Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?
Luk 18:27 …"The things which are impossible with men are possible with God."
Luk 1:37 "For with God nothing will be impossible”
If you have been blessed, encouraged or inspired by this sermon then it’s your turn to be an encouragement too. You can do it by sending email to this contributor at spy2rb@yahoo.com or post comment on the discussion box below.
