When Your Back’s Against The Wall
Scripture: II Chronicles 20
Let me say this before I say anything else this morning: “I do not always get it right!” This morning I want to share a personal, behind the scenes look at what can happen internally when your back is against the wall. I know some of you will understand exactly what I will share as you have experienced it at times in your life. I will share my initial response contrasted with that of King Jehoshaphat, king of Judah.
In April of 2014 I was in Tennessee visiting my sister who was in the hospital. On the afternoon of my arrival, I received an urgent email outlining an important teleconference that was to be held on Thursday morning, two days later. Receiving that email we knew something was up. There was also second teleconference set up by my boss following the national one – that too was not a good sign. When we all signed in on the call we were informed that the company would be going through a re-organization resulting in the loss of some jobs. As you can imagine some of us were in shock. While I sat there on that call I sensed immediately that my employment with that company would end with this reorganization and I was scared. I had been there thirteen years and I was in my fifties so I could see with my mind’s eye rejection letters. While I was still in Tennessee, I immediately began praying about keeping my job even though I knew that the Spirit of God had told me that I would not. I spent two months praying about keeping my job and being okay if I didn’t. Now if I heard the Spirit of God correctly, why was I praying for something different to happen? Because I do not always get it right!!!
On the notification day of June 26th I received my phone call from my director informing me that true enough I was being laid off, actually I was being “bridged” to retirement. (Being bridged to retirement meant that after I turned 55 I would be eligible to retire with full medical benefits from my company.) My director told me that as of that day I was “on my own” and if I had questions I was to call the human resources department. I was not to go back into the field or have any responsibility for the team that I was managing the day before. My job was terminated that day even though I had a 60-day period of time when I would still be getting paid before my severance was paid out. Needless to say, even though I was walking in my faith, my world was turned upside down – but our God is a wonderful God! Sometimes we need our worlds to be rocked!!! While I thought I was ready for the change I quickly found out that when my back was against the wall, I doubted. The title of my message this morning is, “When Your Back’s Against The Wall.”
On the morning that I received my notification, the first person that I talked to was Nikki. (Later she told me that she too had sensed that my job would be lost after I initially told her about the teleconference.) Although there were many questions flowing through my mind I wanted to assure Nikki that I was in a good place and we would be okay. You see, I believe what is recorded in Psalm 37:25 which states “I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.” While this verse did not provide a lot of comfort at the time that I processed the news of my termination, in the back of my mind, somewhere deep down inside, I knew it to be true. Immediately following the teleconference of the reorganization, I started preparing to be laid off even though I was praying that it would not happen. Now I want to confess something to you so that you can truly appreciate how God can handle our situation without our help. I was not happy at my job but I was staying there because I had been there for so long. The grass might have been greener on the other side but I was not willing at my age to jump the fence to find out because in this I did not feel led that I was supposed to. I was stuck until they decided to “unstick” me! I want you to see this, I was no longer wanted at a job where I was no longer happy and no longer wanted but was offended and hurt when they no longer wanted me!!! Sounds ridiculous doesn’t it? We sometimes stay in miserable situations because we do not necessarily trust God to bring us to a different place, even though we are praying that He does. Sometimes, like in my situation, it is best to stay and allow God to work it out even though we do not understand how He is going to do it. At the time that I was laid off, I had been in the work force for 37 years with only 2 months of being unemployed and that happened in 1989 when I was discharged from the Air Force after serving eight years. In that case it was my decision. From the time that I was sixteen, I always had a job because someone always wanted me so this termination was a new experience for me.
All of you walked through this with me and may recall some of it. The first couple of weeks I made sure everyone knew that I was okay and would be okay but on the inside there was some doubt brewing. I actually began to beat myself up. Not only did I beat myself up, I had some help. You ever felt like you were being kicked while you were down? There were some spiritual battles going on in my head during this time. I heard things like, “If you had done such and such you would still have a job.” “You are too old now, nobody will hire you at the salary you were making.” “You see, you were not as good as you thought you were!” “Where is all that faith now?” At one point I actually started feeling a little distant from God. I was starting to feel alone. I spent hours on my deck applying for jobs that were outside of my field (and I didn’t really want) because I was unsure if God would provide me with another job in my field – can you say, “Rodney, you did not get that one right.” I started accepting the thought that maybe I would not find a job and at this point I almost lost a battle that Christ had already won for me!!! On the day that I was laid off (June 26, 2014), God reminded me that He had told me it would happen and then He told me something else. He told me I would have another job within 30 days of being released from my company. Even though I know I heard Him clearly, “I” looked around and saw what was and then I allowed my mind (with and without our enemy’s help) to question my future. During this time I also stood in this pulpit and preach the word of God while wondering what would happen to me. The whole truth to this situation is this; even though the Spirit had told me that I would be laid off, I did not prepare myself mentally for it. Until the day I received the news I was “walking in faith” that I would keep my job. Did you hear me? The Spirit had told me two months in advance so I could prepare for the time and I chose to walk in faith and believe that it would not happen. I am trying to tell you something with this message. I did not take the time to prepare myself so I was not ready when the assault on my faith came as a flood. I was not ready when I started receiving all of the rejection letters from jobs I had applied for; especially the one from a job that was supposed to have been mine and the interview was just a formality. (This was the job that “I” thought God was giving me within that 30-day window.) I was not ready for the questions from friends and loved ones about my job search and if I had found anything. While I might have shown strength on the outside, there was a battle going on inside. I also was not prepared for the silence – my phone not ringing with calls from people I worked with. I was not prepared because I had chosen to walk in faith and ignore what the Spirit had told me. God does not make mistakes so it was on me to own my response. I had two months to mentally get prepared and I did not do it because I was partly walking in faith. I say partly because while I believed that my job would be saved, I was also believing that if it wasn’t I would be okay. I learned that if we have not prepared beforehand for the attack, when it does come we are not ready to defend ourselves. Although I read and studied the Word, looking back on that time, I realize now that my faith hadn’t really been tested in quite a while. My life had been one of minor disruptions – the kind that you don’t feel requires any divine intervention. But let me tell you, all spiritual attacks require divine intervention, that’s why we pray. You have heard the first half of my story and how I did not get this right. Now turn with me to II Chronicles chapter twenty as I want to give you six things to do when you back’s against the wall.
1: Focus on God and not the problem. In II Chronicles 20, King Jehoshaphat had safely returned to Judah after nearly losing his life at Ramoth Gilead. In Chapter 19, he helps Judah turn back to the Lord, the God of their fathers (v.4) by personally visiting the people and then appointing judges in each of the fortified cities to administer the law of the Lord and settle disputes. In Chapter 20, some men learned that the Moabites, Ammonites and Meunites were preparing to attack Jehoshaphat. They hurried to Jerusalem to tell the king: “……A vast army is coming against you from Edom, from the other side of the Sea. It is already in Hazazon Tamar.” (v.2) Hazazon was less than 15 hours from Jerusalem. Let’s look at how Jehoshaphat responds in verse 3. “Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah.” Jehoshaphat’s first reaction was one of fright and intimidation. He was not prepared for the surprise attack. But once he pulled himself together, he “resolved to inquire of the Lord …” The word “resolve” means to set his face to inquire or seek the Lord. Instead of focusing on the problem, Jehoshaphat turned his face away from the problem to face the one who could solve the problem – he forced himself to focus on the Lord and His promises. Do you see this? I was praying about my situation but I was seeing the problem not the focusing on the One who would solve it!!! After his initial reaction, Jehoshaphat made a deliberate decision to focus all of his attention on God; he turned his face (thoughts) away from the attack towards God. How do we turn our faces to God? We turn our faces to God through worship, prayer, fasting and meditation (spending time in the Word). After losing my job, I felt unworthy, rejected, and distant from God. Nikki did everything she could to build me up, to encourage me, “to bring me back.” My journey back to wholeness began when I started spending time each day with God, both in His word and in worship through music. I started going on long walks so it could be me and Him. I had to stop looking at the problem of my age and what I had been making. In this I began turning my face towards God and away from my problem.
2. Ask others to seek God with you. In verse four it says “The people of Judah came together to seek help from the Lord …” After turning his face towards God, Jehoshaphat proclaimed a fast and asked everyone in Judah to seek the Lord with him. Many times, we Christians are very reluctant to share our problems. Our pride prevents us from seeing our deliverance sooner. Christ tells us in Matthew 18:19 that “If two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.” I told you all to be in prayer with me and I called my family members. All of you offered words of encouragement while also praying for me during your prayer time. It is good to have the “right people” praying with you about your situation.
3. Acknowledge God for who He is. When we acknowledge God for who He is, we find ourselves yielding. In verses 6 through 9, Jehoshaphat acknowledges the Lord as the true and living God and as the covenant God, who in fulfillment of the promise had given them the land. He tells the Lord that whenever they face calamity, the people will stand in His presence before the temple that bears His name “and will cry out to you in our distress, and you will hear us and save us.” (v.9) Jehoshaphat reminded the Lord that He had promised Abraham that He would protect and provide for his descendants. In this midst of all Judah, the king reminds the Lord of His covenant relationship with Israel. How many of you know that sometimes it’s okay to remind God of His promises because in doing so we remind ourselves? Remember, we’re sons and daughters (I John 3:1). As children of God, we have the same rights and privileges as Jesus Christ. And because Jesus is our high priest (Hebrews 4:15), Paul tells us how to respond in times of trouble. He wrote in Hebrews 4:16: “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (v.16) 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. We open the door for Him to do what He wants to do for us.
4. Put your deliverance in God’s hands. In his prayer to the Lord, Jehoshaphat did something a king should never do – he admitted that Judah couldn’t win this fight alone and that they didn’t even know what to do! Verse twelve records, “… 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.” How many of us are willing to admit it when we are in over our heads and we can’t figure out where to begin? It’s not a good feeling. But that didn’t matter to Jehoshaphat; he wanted Judah delivered. Our enemy plays with our minds. He makes us feel that God has abandoned us, that we don’t matter to God. After all, if He did, we wouldn’t be in this mess. But according to scripture, we’re not in this mess for Colossians 1:13 says, “For he (God) has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves.” When we take our eyes off of our Heavenly Father, the devil can trick us into believing that we’re still part of his domain.
5. Dismiss your fears and trust God. I will admit that this is easier said than done when our backs are against the wall and we are operating with a timeline. But remember, faith and fear cannot rule equally in our lives. One will dominate the other! After Jehoshaphat told God, in the ears of Judah, that his eyes were focused on His ability to deliver them, God gave Jahaziel, a Levite, a word of encouragement and comfort for the king. Verse fifteen records, “…Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.” How many of you know that some of our battles are not ours to fight? Joyce Meyer wrote in her book “Be Anxious for Nothing” that “Peace is to be the normal condition for us as believers in Jesus Christ.” Jehoshaphat dismissed his fears, not because they were not real, but because he put his trust in the living God. When our backs are against the wall, fear is a natural response. But we also have the ability to set aside our fears because of our faith in God and His abilities. When we act in faith, we make a conscious decision not to fear. Always remember the final words of Jahaziel’s prophecy: “For the battle is not yours, but God’s.”
6. Be still and take up your position. The last thing we need to do when our backs are against the wall is to be still and take up our position. In verse seventeen, God tells Jehoshaphat what he and the people need to do. He tells them, “You need not fight in this battle; station yourselves, stand and see the salvation of the LORD on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out to face them, for the LORD is with you.” After praying to the Lord for deliverance, Jehoshaphat and the people stood still; they waited. The salvation was coming, but not by anything he or the people would do. They would see God’s power in action. When they heard this, verse eighteen says, “Jehoshaphat bowed with his face to the ground and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down in worship before the Lord.” When the king and the people bowed in worship, I believe they were taking up their positions. When we worship God, we put ourselves in His hands. We release our cares. We act in faith. Praise and worship are important when we find ourselves in situations that seem hopeless. When we praise and worship God, we turn our faces toward Him – we set our eyes upon Him and His abilities, not our own abilities. Verse twenty captures their action. “…As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, ‘Listen to me, Judah and the people of Jerusalem! Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld …” The king reminded the people of the Lord’s promise and told them to have faith – believe that God will keep his Word. And then they praised God. In the minds of Jehoshaphat and the people, the victory was already won. When they went to battle they stood still and watched how God delivered their enemies into their hands. They did not have to lift a sword! When the battle was over (with their enemies turning on themselves) Jehoshaphat and his armies entered the battle field and took the spoils. When they returned the Bible says “So the kingdom of Jehoshaphat was at peace, for his God gave him rest on all sides.” (Vs. 30)
When I finally stopped doubting who I was and what I had in Christ, I began to see the victory I had in Christ. We’ve always had the victory even in our worst situations. When our backs are against the wall and it appears that nothing will work out, we must believe that God is true to His word and that it will work out. This does not mean that our lives won’t be changed or adjustments made, but as we walk with Him, we can have the confidence that it will work out. II Chronicles 20 provides a wonderful example of how God’s people responded during a time of crisis. It’s something we can do today in situations of uncertainty, stress and fear. And finally, we praise and worship God. We know He will deliver us and our worship and praise is a testament to our faith and trust in Him.
As I closed this morning I want you to know in my situation God was very true to His word and what He told me from the beginning. I wasted countless hours worrying about how God was going to work it out. In this I did not get it right. God had told me that I would have a job within thirty days of being laid off. I was officially laid off on August 26, 2014 and I accepted another job with another company on September 25, 2014 (29 days.) Because I did not start my new job until early November, I had six weeks of true rest (my severance payment would have covered all of my expenses for about 8 months.) I am sharing this with you, not because I am bragging or because God did something for me because I am so special. I am sharing this so you too will see what God will do in your situation if you do your part and trust Him. When your back is against a wall, and at some point it will be, I ask you to check yourself. Are you doing these six things? If not, put them to the test and see how God will change your situation!
May God bless and keep you.
