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!