{Here Comes Trouble Series Sermon #1}
Surrender
2 Chronicles 20: 1 – 19
This story is about a man named Jehoshaphat and the trouble he faced. It wasn't trouble that he went looking for; it invaded his life uninvited, threatening to destroy all he had ever accomplished.
Jehoshaphat wasn't ready for such a battle, but he got ready, fast. In the process, he learned how to win life’s biggest battles — not just barely, but brilliantly.
Jehoshaphat was the king of Judah in 900 BC. He was a good king, though not perfect. He made some mistakes, he had to be corrected a time or two, but the driving force of his life was to serve God and serve God’s people.
What Jehoshaphat faced we also face from time to time: big trouble closing in from every side. This king of ages past gives us a good example to follow today. If you’ve ever had problems, I think you’ll like this story.
So, take your Bibles and turn with me to the Old Testament book of 2 Chronicles 20.
The nation of Judah was thriving under King Jehosaphat’s leadership. He brought them success on the battlefield. He developed a system of public education, setting up learning centers throughout the country where the Law of God could be taught. He safeguarded against drought and national emergencies by storing food and supplies in specially created fortified cities. He established a network of judges to hear cases and administer justice in each community. He was an honest man with good motives who did his work with excellence.
And this is where our story begins. Look at verses 1 & 2.
“1 After this, the armies of the Moabites, Ammonites, and some of the Meunites declared war on Jehoshaphat. 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.’”.
In short, they were saying, “King, here comes trouble.”.
I have to tell you, it’s bad enough to go to war against one enemy. Jehoshaphat faced three. These armies formed a colossal alliance with the singular purpose of defeating Jehoshaphat, conquering his kingdom, enslaving his people, and taking control of his land. Three enemies at once: together they comprised a terrifying, perhaps undefeatable, opponent.
Has something like this ever happened to you? You're working hard, doing your job as best you can, when suddenly it seems that all your enemies and every negative thing in the world conspire against you.
That’s the thing about trouble. Our problems aren’t like the ninja fighters in the movies, politely waiting to attack one at a time. No, real life problems come at you all at once: a lack of money, a health scare, job insecurity, marital trouble — it’s like they form an alliance, making themselves too big for you to handle alone. Has it happened to you? Is it happening now?
Your first response might be the same as Jehoshaphat’s. The Bible says he was terrified. Scared stiff. He knew what he was up against. He knew he was in over his head. His exact words are contained in verse 12.
12 “We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to attack us. We do not know what to do...”.
As you scan the horizon, maybe you see what he saw: a terrifying army marching your way. This can be a good thing. Why? Because it means that, just like Jehoshaphat, you’re about to witness the mighty hand of God.
Listen folks, when trouble strikes, it’s time to get serious about seeking God.
Former baseball great Satchel Paige once said, “Don't pray when it rains if you don’t pray when the sun shines.”. This sounds like good old salt-of-the-earth wisdom, but it’s terrible advice. In my opinion, good advice never begins with the phrase, “Don’t pray.”.
You already know that it’s a terrible mistake to not pray when the sun is shining. Everybody knows that. But it’s foolish to compound this mistake by refusing to pray when the rain starts pouring down. Even if you haven’t prayed enough in the past, when trouble comes then it’s time to start praying more than ever.
Now, I’m not talking about a half-hearted plea for help: “God, get me out of this mess so that I can get on with my life.”. I’m talking about deep heart-felt prayer, prayer that pursues the presence of God: “Lord, reveal yourself to me. Reveal your will to me. Tell me what to do. Show me what to change. Lead me where I need to go.”.
This was how Jehoshaphat responded to the situation. He was terrified, at first, when he received the “here comes trouble” reports. But he knew what to do next. Look at verse 3.
“3 Jehoshaphat was terrified by this news and begged the Lord for guidance.”.
The King James Version says, “And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord...”.
Jehoshaphat prayed what could be called a “prayer of despair”. You know what? Despair is where seeking God usually starts — from a place of need, or hurt, or fear. Many who walk close to Christ can tell you: It was their pain that caused them to pursue a deeper walk with God.
Despair can be a catalyst to experiencing God's power, and there’s an important reason for this. When confronted with trouble, we’re more likely to shed the religious facade and get real with God. And that’s where seeking God begins.
This event in the life of Jehoshaphat reveals 5 important elements to truly seeking God.
#1: SEEKING GOD INVOLVES TRANSPARENCY:
Transparency means getting rid of the King James sounding prayers. It means we stop reminding God of how lucky He is to have us on His team. It means we quit trying to impress everyone with our religious deeds. It means that we get honest and say, “God, I’m helpless. I need you.”.
And here’s the good news…you can pray this prayer of despair anytime you need to. You can be completely honest with God. Always. No need to play games. No need to pretend that everything is fine when really nothing is fine. You can say, like Jehoshaphat, “God, I’m afraid. This is too big for me to handle on my own and I don’t know what to do.”. You can tell Him everything. The more you talk, the more time you’re spending in His presence. And the more time you spend in the presence of God, the closer you get to His power.
Look at verse 9 at what Jehoshaphat said during his prayer of despair, 9 “Whenever we are faced with any calamity such as war, plague, or famine, we can come to stand in your presence before this Temple where your name is honored. We can cry out to you to save us, and you will hear us and rescue us.”.
Seeking God begins with spending time in His presence, pouring out your heart. If the phrase “Here Comes Trouble” describes your life, take the cue from Jehoshaphat. Get transparent with God.
Secondly,
#2: SEEKING GOD INVOLVES GIVING OF YOURSELF:
Seeking God also includes a degree of personal sacrifice, such as giving, fasting or serving. In a business setting, you might call this a show of good faith. It’s your way of saying, “God, I’m serious about this. I’ll do my part, small as it may be, so that you can do your part, which is greater than anyone can ask or imagine.”.
When Jehoshaphat began seeking the Lord, he challenged the entire nation to seek God with him. Look at verses 3 & 4.
“3 He also ordered everyone in Judah to begin fasting. 4 So people from all the towns of Judah came to Jerusalem to seek the Lord’s help.”.
For me, there’s no better way to prove I mean business than to do without food. When I skip a meal, I’m pretty sure it makes headlines in heaven: “Wow. Chris is really serious this time. His stomach’s growling.”.
Seriously, there’s something about fasting that pleases God. It gets His attention and causes Him to move in your direction. If you want to get serious about seeking God, give doing a fast some serious thought.
There are a number of ways to do it. You can abstain from all food for a specific number of days. Or you can avoid certain types of food, such as pizza, dessert, or meat. You can also fast from things like TV, video games, or the internet. In doing so, you’re saying, “God, I’m eliminating this from my life right now so that I can establish more room in my life for you.”.
Right after the attacks on 9/11, a schoolteacher named Gary Weddle said he would “fast” from shaving until Osama Bin Ladin was captured. He wasn’t joking. He went ten years without a razor touching his face.
Eventually, his beard grew down to his waist. When Bin Ladin was killed in May 2011, Weddle shaved again — and it made national news. I don’t know if his decision to abstain from shaving had any spiritual motivations, but I do know that he was serious about his commitment.
What if you would seek God with this same level of commitment? I’m not suggesting a beard, but just imagine what could happen if you said, “God, I need you so much in my life that I’m willing to sacrifice comfort, or convenience, or entertainment, or even necessity, in order to experience your power in my life. And I won’t quit until it comes to pass.”.
Seeking God involves giving of yourself. It requires sacrifice. It’s not about trying to earn God’s favor. It’s about demonstrating to Him, to yourself, and to everyone else that you mean business.
Thirdly,
#3: SEEKING GOD INVOLVES LISTENING:
After the people of Judah poured out their hearts to God, after they called on Him for help, after they came to Him with prayer and fasting, God began speaking to them. Look at verses 13 – 15.
“13 As all the men of Judah stood before the Lord with their little ones, wives, and children,
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.
15 He said, ‘Listen, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Listen, King Jehoshaphat! 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.’”.
You can count on it: After a season of seeking God, there comes a time when you hear, “Thus saith the Lord unto you.”.
Maybe you’ll “hear” it in the words of Scripture, or listening to a sermon, or in a conversation with a trusted friend, or by the working of the Holy Spirit within you...but there comes a time when without even a shadow of doubt you know that you’re hearing the Holy Spirit’s voice, and “thus saith the Lord unto you.”. That is, if you’re listening.
Years ago, I told a church member that God speaks to me in some way every time I hear a sermon. He said to me, “Well l wish I could say that. The preachers you listen to must be better than the one I have to put up with every Sunday.”. Well, maybe he had a point.
But it’s the truth. If you’re listening, God can speak to you through all kinds of people and all kinds of situations. Even when I listen to preachers with whom I don’t fully agree theologically, I will hear something in their message that I know was meant for me: something I need to do, something I need to know, something I need to change.
It also happens every time I open God’s Word. People have often said to me, “When I try reading the Bible, I don’t get anything out of it.”. It doesn’t have to be that way. God will speak to you every time, if your heart is willing to listen.
You see, it’s not about being extra-intelligent or super-spiritual. It’s about being attentive. As you read the Bible, listen for His voice. With each verse, ask, “God, what are you saying to me today?”. You’ll discover that He always has something to say.
Seeking God involves listening. It involves paying attention. When Jesus preached, He would often say, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”. He’s challenging you and me to be spiritually attentive to God’s voice.
God speaks; it’s up to you and me to listen. Pay attention until you hear, “thus saith the Lord unto you.”.
Fourthly,
#4: SEEKING GOD INVOLVES A DECISION TO TRUST:
Does anyone remember the TV show “24”? I loved that show. If you ever watched “24”, you’ll recall how often Jack Bauer asked people to go out on a limb for him. Time and time again he would say something like, “I don’t have time to give you the details; I just need you to trust me and do what I ask.”.
And on the strength of those words, his co-workers and colleagues threw caution to the wind and did what they needed to do...because they trusted Jack Bauer.
This is similar to your spiritual life. There are times when you don’t have all the details, when you don’t know exactly how God is going to work through a situation. And to be honest, you don’t need to know. You just need to trust Him and do what He says.
Notice what God said to His people in verses 15 – 17, “15 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. 16 Tomorrow march down against them. 17 Do not be afraid or discouraged. Go out against them tomorrow, for the Lord is with you!’”.
As you seek God, there comes a time when you draw your line in the sand and say, “I don’t know what God is up to, but I choose to trust Him. I refuse to surrender to doubt and despair. I trust God enough to do what He asks me to do.”.
Remember the old hymn?
Trust and obey for there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.
There’s an unmistakable, unbreakable connection between trust and obedience. If you struggle with one, maybe it’s because you haven’t fully settled the other. Seeking God involves a decision to trust.
Lastly,
#5: SEEKING GOD INVOLVES A COMMITMENT TO PRAISE AND WORSHIP:
Verses 18 & 19 reads, “18 Then King Jehoshaphat bowed low with his face to the ground. And all the people of Judah and Jerusalem did the same, worshiping the Lord. 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.”.
Did you get that? It said that they fell to their faces in worship. They rose to their feet in praise. This is how you seek God.
Consider this. If you enter into worship only on Sunday, only when there’s an inspirational video to begin the service and words are projected on a screen, and Sharon, Wanda, Dee, and Debbie are leading us in song, then you’re not doing it enough. You’re not worshipping enough. Praise and worship need to be a part of your daily life. It needs to be part of your private life. If you’re serious about seeking God, get in His presence every day, bowing before Him in worship, standing before Him in praise.
Closing Thoughts
For the next 3 weeks I want us to study this event in 2 Chronicles very closely. As we do, we’ll see how God came through for Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah. We’ll see how He saved them from their enemies and how He blessed the entire nation. It started with Jehoshaphat taking the right steps when trouble emerged: He set himself to seek God by doing the very things that I shared with you today.
? He PRAYED:
? He FASTED:
? He LISTENED:
? He TRUSTED: and
? He WORSHIPPED:
You can summarize Jehoshaphat in one word: SURRENDER. He surrendered himself to God so he wouldn’t have to surrender to the enemy.
It’ll work for you, too. Surrender yourself to God, so that you don’t have to surrender your family to the enemy. Surrender yourself to God, so that you don’t have to surrender your finances to the enemy. Surrender yourself to God, so that you don’t have to surrender your future to the enemy.
God is ready to lead you into victory. Are you ready to take the first step? You can begin today. Seek God with your whole heart, and trust and obey.
