Ever found your back against a wall? Ever been in a situation you weren’t sure you would make it through? Maybe you are going through something right now. It’s like finding yourself in a canoe on the Niagara River and you can hear the thunder of Niagara Falls just ahead. Maybe it’s depression you’re facing or a difficult situation at school.
I. The Place of Absolute Surrender
If there was ever someone who found himself on a limb, it was King Jehoshaphat of Judah. Though being a king might sound fun, it can sometimes be lonely at the top. One day Jehoshaphat woke up to discovering that he was at war with three kingdoms. There was no way the army of Judah could take on three armies. He gathered his subjects at the Temple and they cried out to God:
“Whenever we are faced with any calamity such as war, disease, 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 and rescue us.
“And now we see what the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir are doing. You would not let our ancestors invade those nations when Israel left Egypt, so they went around them and did not destroy them. Now see how they reward us!
For they have come to throw us out of your land, which you gave as an inheritance. 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.”—2 Chronicles 20:9-12. New Living Translation
It always starts here. We have to come to that place of absolute surrender where we give it all to God. It’s that place of being in front of the Red Sea with the Egyptian army behind you, ready to pound you into the dirt. It’s that place you come to where only God can part the sea and provide a way out.
David was someone else who understood this well. He often found himself in impossible situations! Consider this prayer of his recorded in Psalms:
“Save me, O God, for the floodwaters are up to my neck. Deeper and deeper I sink into the mire; I can’t find a foothold to stand on. I am in deep water, and the floods overwhelm me. I am exhausted from crying for help; my throat is parched and dry. My eyes are swollen with weeping, waiting for my God to help me.” - Psalm 69:1-3 NLT
“But I keep right on praying to you, Lord, hoping this is the time you will show me favor. In your unfailing love, O God, answer my prayer with your sure salvation.” - Psalm 69:13 NLT
II. The Place of Absolute Trust
Can you relate to David? Have you ever felt this desperate in a situation? So what did Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah do in their fix? A prophet came to them and told them this:
“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” –2 Chronicles 20:15 NLT
We can relax! It’s not our fight! Consider what is written in the following verses:
“So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and in his good time he will honor you. Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about what happens to you.” –1 Peter 5:6-7 NLT
“Then he said to me, "This is what the LORD says to Zerubbabel: It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the LORD Almighty. “–Zech 4:6 NLT
“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world." –John 16:33 NLT
After coming to the place of absolute surrender, we then come to the place of absolute trust. We realize that we can do nothing in our own strength, but with God’s help we can come through any situation with a shining testimony!
III. The Place of Absolute Victory
After Jehoshaphat heard from the prophet. He began his plan of attack. Who did he send out first? It was not the infantry, artillery, or even the Green Berets. No! He sent out a choir! Check out what happened:
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!"
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.
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. 2 Chronicles 2:21-23 NLT
Whenever we trust God we will always have absolute victory in the situations we face. The outcome may not always be as we would have wanted it, but it will always bring glory to God.
I think of a story an African pastor told me once. He said that one time, a construction worker fell on a nail, and as a result, got tetanus. The people in his church fervently prayed and fasted, but the man died. When they had the funeral, however, it turned out to be a crusade! Many people came to a saving knowledge of Christ as a result of his death! God was certainly glorified in that situation!
Consider the following verses:
Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vine; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the LORD! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation.
The Sovereign LORD is my strength! He will make me as surefooted as a deer and bring me safely over the mountains.—Habakkuk 3:17-19 NLT
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. –Rom 8:28 NLT
Conclusion: Remember that God is always with you!
In the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, Derek Redmond of Great Britain was considered a favorite contender for a medal. It was the evening of August 3, 1992 as Redmond was pitted against seven others in a semi-final in the 400 meters. Redmond knelt poised, waiting for the race to start. As the gun went off, his body was translated into a human locomotion, feverishly charging against the other runners. As Redmond prepared to round the curve after the halfway mark, however, he suddenly heard a pop. It was his right hamstring.
Redmond soon found himself trapped by the searing pain of his leg. The other runners finished the race as he desperately continued his painful trek to the finish line. He waved off the stretchers, however, determined to finish the race.
From the stands, his father had been watching. He pushed his way past security guards to meet his son on the track. He then reached his weeping son. “Look, you don’t have to do this.” Redmond then replied: “Yes I do.” His father then said: “Well, if you’re going to finish this race, we’ll finish it together.”
With his arm locked around his son, Jim Redmond helped his son to the finish line to the sounds of a cheering stadium. This moment in Olympic history was so dramatic that Bud Greenspan included it in his book, 100 Greatest Moments in Olympic History.
We have to remember that God is like that in the race we are running. Sometimes we may get injured in the race, but God is always there ready to come out of the stands, put His arm around us, and help us to the finish line.
