When Life Throws You A Curve

Three nations aligned against Judah and her king, Jehoshaphat. They met in a place that should have been Judah's ultimate destruction. The people of God were out-numbered, out-gunned, and were staring annihilation in the face. But as God often does, the valley that should have been their destruction, became the valley of their greatest blessing. 2 Chronicles 20:26 says, "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."


Judah didn't have to fight the battle (just as God had promised). All they had to do was enjoy the spoils of God's victory. The Bible says that it took three full days to gather up all the plunder left on the battlefield! I just want to say it again! The place of that should have been their ultimate defeat became the valley of their greatest blessing.


This was something the people of Judah would never have gone after themselves. The weren't the ones scheming to attack and conquer. They weren't devising plans to rob the Amonites, Moabites, and Meunites of their goods and supplies. They were minding their own business. But when these enemy armies conspired to do evil against them, God said, in effect, “You're not taking anything from my people today. In fact, you're giving to my people today.” And the army of Judah spent three days gathering everything.  Proverbs 13:22: “The sinners' wealth passes to the godly.”

So let me conclude this week, and this sermon series by giving you three things to remember when you face what appears to be overwhelming odds. First of all, you can outlast your problems. Even if can't conquer a problem in your own power, you can choose to outlast the problem. Many situations are able to resolve themselves, if we just allow them the opportunity to run their course.  That doesn't mean that you do nothing and wait for the problem to fix itself. It does mean that you continue to pray, you continue to trust, you continue to praise, you continue to put yourself in position for God to work a miracle. So remember, when life throws more at you than you can handle, stay faithful, stay consistent, keep walking with God, and you'll find yourself outlasting the enemy.

Secondly, the valley of blessing should be a valley of praise. Judah praised Him when they sought His help.They praised Him when they were stepping out in faith. And they praised Him when He's gave them victory. In everything situation....Praise Him! At every stage of a crisis, the stage of despair, the stage of faithful obedience, and the stage of victory,remember that praise and worship and thanksgiving play a vital role. 

Finally, when battles are public, remember that public battles lead to public victories. Public victories not only bring honor glory to God, they bring a proper amount of honor and respect to you, as well. You'll be able to make a difference in people's lives, because they will have witnessed the power of God at work in your life.  That's why, when we've been to the Valley of Blessing, we need to do what the people of Judah did. We need to march around with harps and horns, making as much noise as possible, proclaiming to all who will listen, "God has given me victory."

Valley of Blessing

As we conclude our series entitled Trouble Is Coming, we focused on how God accomplished an amazing miracle for King Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah. As a recap, Jehoshaphat was a godly king who tried to lead his people into a period of spiritual restoration. While doing what was right, he faced a tremendous crisis. Three kings aligned their armies for the sole purpose of annihilating Judah. You see, living for Christ does not automatically grant us immunity from struggles. Even though he was terrified, Jehoshaphat began to seek God (2 Chronicles 20:3). We discovered the first of three over-arching principles at this point: Because it is God's heart to have an intimate, personal relationship with us, He orchestrates the events of our lives to cause us to seek Him.


God told Jehoshaphat that He was going to fight this battle for the people of Israel (verse 15, 17). But He did command Jehoshaphat to lead the army of Israel into a face-to-face confrontation with the approaching enemies. He informed Jehoshaphat to position himself against His enemies. We discovered that the singers of Judah led the soldiers into battle. The second over-arching principle from this story is that if we want to God to fight our battles, we much get ourself into the right position...a position of praise and worship.


Today, we discover that "At the very 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 destroyed the army of Seir, they began attacking each other. So when the army of Judah arrived at the lookout point in the wilderness, all they saw were dead bodies lying on the ground as far as they could see. Not a single one of the enemy had escaped." (2 Chronicles 20:22-24). 


The armies of Judah began to plunder the riches of these three conquered armies. It took them three days to collect their prize. Then we read in verse 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."  


Do you see it? The third over-arching principle of this story: The very place that the enemy is waiting to conquer us, can become the place of our greatest blessing. God told Jehoshaphat to position himself face-to-face with the invading armies. The armies thought they were gathering in this valley to eradicate the people of Judah. But this place that was intended to be the Valley of Judah's destruction became the Valley of Judah's blessing.

Whatever is causing you the greatest amount of stress right now, whether it is a financial problem, a relational problem, a physical problem, an emotional problem, or a spiritual problem; that thing that the enemy has designed to be your valley of destruction will become the source of your greatest blessing, if you seek God, fill your heart with praise and worship, and believe His promise to deliver you. Your valley of destruction can become your valley of blessing!

God Will Show Up And God Will Show Out

We have been looking at an exciting story found in 2 Chronicles 20, where King Jehoshaphat was facing a problem where he didn't know what to do. Three of his enemies had aligned their armies for the sole purpose of eradicating Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah. We saw that Jehoshaphat began to seek the Lord (verse 3) and God told him that the battle was not his, but God's (verses 15; 17). During our first week of this series, we discovered that every event of our lives is orchestrated by God to cause us to seek Him

This week we have been looking at the challenge God gave Jehoshaphat to go face-to-face with his enemies. We have discovered that God wants us to meet our problems face-to-face because He wants to give us victory in the presence of our problems. We have also learned that the time to confront our problems is now.

As we conclude this week's posts, we are going to discover the overarching principle of this entire story: If we want God to fight our battles, we must position ourselves in the proper place.  "You will not even need to fight. Take your positions; then stand still and watch the Lord's victory." (verse 17). What was the position that God told Jehoshaphat to take? The same that you and I should take when we are faced with problems where we don't know what to do.

“After consulting 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!” (verse 21). Then the Bible says in verse 22: “At the very moment they began to sing and give praise, the Lord caused the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir to start fighting among themselves.” Did you catch it? At the very moment they began to sing and give praise, the enemy self-destructed. Last week we talked about how praise and worship are an important part of seeking God. They're also an important part of confronting your problems, and they're crucial to experiencing victory.

The difference in confronting your problems and complaining about your problems is praise and worship! People who complain about their problems act as if their problems are the biggest in the world. People who confront their problems with faith and praise know that God is bigger than any problem they will ever face. 

In this story, the army of Judah was preceded by praise, and, as a result, they never had to enter the fight. God fought the battle for them. If you and I will precede our battles with praise, we won't have to fight our battles either. And as my friend Sandy, who is battling stage 4 cancer often says, "God will show up and God will show out!"

First Steps Can Seem Strange

King Jehoshaphat is in one those places that we all sometimes find ourselves in...he is faced with a situation that he didn't know what to do. Three enemy armies had aligned themselves for the sole purpose of crushing Jehoshaphat and his people. The numbers, man-power, and weaponry greatly favored the alliance. And Jehoshaphat was terrified. But rather than running from his problems, he began to "seek the Lord" (verse 3). 

This week, we are exploring what God told Jehoshaphat, because in His instructions to the King, we find directions for those times in our lives when we don't know what to do. Yesterday, we explored how God told Jehoshaphat to confront his problem rather than run from them. The second command God gave Jehoshaphat was to confront his problem right away. In verses 16, 17,  God said, “Tomorrow, march out against them...Go out against them tomorrow, for the Lord is with you!”  And in response to God's command, we are told in verse 20: “Early the next morning the army of Judah went out into the wilderness of Tekoa.” 


Too many people, when faced with a problem, want to put off a confrontation as long as possible. But God told Jehoshaphat to go out into the wilderness the first thing the next morning. H. Jackson Brown, the author of Life's Little Instruction Book, said, “Where there is a hill to climb, don't think that waiting will make it any smaller.” Jeffrey Pfeffer and Robert I. Sutton, in their book Hard Facts, quote former San Francisco 49's head coach, Steve Mariucci, as saying: “I never wear a watch, because I always know it's now, and now is when you should do it.” 


Here's the deal. You do not have to wait another minute before facing your problems. You do not have to wait another minute before taking the steps to make your life all that God intends it to be. You do not have to wait another minute before you experience God's power in your life. The Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 6:2: “Indeed, the 'right time' is now. Today is the day of salvation.” 


It begins with a first step that sometimes may seem laughable. Cross the Red Sea on dry land because Moses raises his staff? Ridiculous! Cross the Jordan River on dry land because the priests take the first step into the water? Laughable! Slay an armed and armored giant with a slingshot and five smooth stones? Are you kidding me! Cure a deadly skin disease by dipping in the Jordan River seven times? Lunacy. But when we are willing to take the first step, no matter how strange, God will notice, and He will show up.

God told the Jehoshaphat's army to move into position right away. He said, “I will be with you, I will protect you, I will fight for you, I will give you victory ... but you need to take action right away, so that I can begin to bless you.”  God is telling us that we need to be willing to face up to our problems, and we need to be willing to do it now.

Tomorrow we will look at the overarching principle of this week's message...if we want God to fight our battles, we must position ourselves in the right place.

Rest On Every Side

We have been looking at the story of King Jehoshaphat. He had been a good king, trying to do what was right, trying to lead his people into a spiritual and national renewal. But while he was trying to make Judah more spiritual and stronger, three enemy nations around him formed an alliance to try to destroy Jehoshaphat and his people. It is a classics story of, What do you do when you don't know what to do?"

We discovered last week, that although Jehoshaphat was terrified, he began to seek God (2 Chronicles 20:3). And God told him in verse 15, “Do not be afraid! Don't be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God's.” Last week we discovered that every event of our lives is orchestrated by God to cause us to seek Him. And the result of seeking Him can be found in 2 Chronicles 20:30: “Jehoshaphat's kingdom was at peace, for his God had given him rest on every side.” Isn't that what we all want? Rest on every side. The spiritual side, the financial side, the physical side, and the relational side! Rest on every side.

This week, we are going to look at God's instructions to Jehoshaphat. In verses 15-17, God told him:  “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. 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. 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 against them tomorrow, for the Lord is with you!”


God gave Jehoshaphat three important things that he needed to do when he didn't know what to do. This week we are going to explore these three things.  The first is that you must confront your problems. God could have said to Jehoshaphat, “You just stay where you are. I am going to take care of your problem without you doing anything. But he didn't. In fact, He seldom does.

To trust God with our problems does not mean that we ignore them. In fact, Jehoshaphat was told to go face his enemies. God wanted to give Him victory in the presence of His enemies. Why? Personally, I believe when we face our enemies and realize how great the odds are against us, we are forced to recognize that God is bigger than our problems.

In fact, the over-arching principle of this week's study is this...If we want God to fight our battles, we must position ourselves in the right place. Later this week, we will find what that position is. Until then, don't deny your problems! Don't ignore your problems! Confront them face-to-face and realize that our God is bigger than your biggest problem!

What Is Involved In Seeking God?

We have been looking this week at an amazing story in 2 Chronicles 20 where King Jehoshaphat is confronted by three armies that have united to try to destroy him and his people. We have discovered that God orchestrates every event in our lives to cause us to seek Him.

Though Jehoshaphat was terrified by the surrounding enemies, he knew exactly what to do: “Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord...” (verse 3). When we say that we should seek God, sometimes it is a pretty vague term. But Jehoshaphat's prayer provides us with five things that are involved in seeking God:

1. Transparency (verse 9). When we are confronted by things that we can not handle by ourselves, we lay aside our religious facades and openly admit our weakness to God. 
2. Sacrifice (verse 4). Jehoshaphat declared a fast among the people. Our willingness to sacrifice reveals the depth of our need.
3. Listening (verses 13-15). When we begin to earnestly seek the Lord, we need to listen for a "Thus saith the Lord." He will speak and His words will provide hope, encouragement, and strength.
4. Trust (verses 15, 17). There are times in life when we don't have all the details, we don't know exactly how God is going to work through a situation, and, truthfully, we don't need to know. We just need to trust him and do what he says. We need to know that every event in our lives is designed to cause us to seek God.
5. Praise and Worship (verses 18, 19). The people fell to their faces in worship and they stood to their feet in praise. This is how we seek God. Here's what I want you to consider. If the only time you engage in praise or worship is on Sunday when the band is playing and the words are on the screen, you're not doing it enough. Praise and worship needs to be a part of your daily life,  a part of your private life. If you want to get serious about seeking God, make it a point to spend time alone each day, bowing before him in worship, standing before him in praise.

Jehoshaphat took the right steps when trouble appeared on the horizon. He set himself to seek God. He prayed, he fasted, he listened, he trusted, he worshipped. If you could summarize these five words in one word, I guess it would be surrender. Jehoshaphat surrendered himself to God so he wouldn't have to surrender his nation to the enemy.

It will work the same for you. 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, if you'll take the first step of seeking him with your whole heart.

God Orchestrates The Events Of Our Lives

This week we are looking at the ancient story about King Jehoshaphat found in 2 Chronicles 20. Jehoshaphat was a godly king who led his people in a period of national and spiritual renewal. However, in 2 Chronicles, Jehoshaphat is approached with alarming news...three nations have united their armies for the sole purpose of destroying Jehoshaphat and his people. Jehoshaphat was terrified. But 2 Chronicles 20:3 says, “Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord...”

There are a couple of very important principles found in this story. On Monday, we discovered this truth: Obedience to God does not provide His personal guarantee of a trouble-free life. Yesterday, this story reminded us that whenever you are surrounded by problems, you are in a prime position to experience God's miracle-working power.

However, the overarching principle is this story maybe one of the most important truths we will ever learn about God. He is sovereign. He is in control. He orchestrates the events of our lives. Why? Every event in your life is designed to cause you to seek God. Whether you are living for Him or not, whether you are being obedient or not, whether you are living right or not, every event in your life is designed to cause you to seek God.  He loves you so much and His heart's desire is to be intimately involved in your life. Therefore, He orchestrates the events of your life to draw you closer to Him

Jehoshaphat prayed what we could call a prayer of despair. That's where seeking God usually starts. It usually begins from a place of tremendous need, or hurt, or fear. That's because, when we are confronted with pain, we are more likely to cast off the religious façade and really began to seek Him.

What does it mean to seek Him? Tomorrow, we are going to look at five things Jehoshaphat did to seek God.

When You Are Surrounded...Seek God

When Jehoshaphat was given the news that three nations had combined their armies to destroy him and his people, the Bible says he was terrified. He knew he was in over his head. In verse 12 Jehoshaphat prayed to God: “We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to attack us. We do not know what to do...”

Have you ever felt this way? Have you ever been at a place where you knew you were in over your head? That's where Jehoshaphat was as he faced this attack from multiple enemies. But through this event, he learned that when you are surrounded by enemies, you are in a prime position to experience God's miracle-working power. You are in a place to witness deliverance. And if we can learn the same lessons that he learned, we can experience the same deliverance that Jehoshaphat experienced.

Through this series, we are going to see three things that Jehoshaphat did to experience the deliverance of the Lord. We are going to focus this week on the first thing he did. The Scriptures teach that Jehoshaphat began to seek the Lord. Verse 3 says, “Jehoshaphat was terrified by this news and begged the Lord for guidance.” The King James Version says “Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord...” The first lesson that Jehoshaphat learned was that when you find yourself surrounded by enemies, the first thing you should do is seek the Lord.

The remainder of this week we are going to look at an overarching principle that reshaped Jehoshaphat's fear. And then we will discover five steps he took to seek God. And if we will follow them, we may discover, that like Jehoshaphat, we too can "...can cry out to you to save us, and you will hear us and rescue us."  (2 Chronicles 20:9)