A SUPERNATURAL RESPONSE to TROUBLE
May 8
Bible Reading: 2 Chronicles Chapters 19-21
A SUPERNATURAL RESPONSE to TROUBLE
"O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against
this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but
our eyes are upon You." (2 Chron 20:12)
When trouble
comes against us, we can choose to respond either naturally or supernaturally.
When we respond naturally, we either
confront the trouble head-on with our own strength or we try to run away from
the trouble as far as we can. We can also deny that the trouble exists and wish
that it would go away. However, we can also respond to trouble supernaturally like King Jehoshaphat,
who turned to God during the time of his trouble. Let us look into the sequence
of events how King Jehoshaphat responded to trouble in his life as recorded in 2
Chron 20:1-30:
When King
Jehoshaphat heard that three great armies were about to attack, fear motivated
him to seek the Lord as he proclaimed a fast and gathered everyone together to
ask help from the Lord (vv. 1-4).
- His prayer began with praise, which shifted his focus from the magnitude of his problem to the greatness of his God (vv. 5-7).
- After making petitions and receiving an answer through the prophet Jahaziel, King Jehoshaphat and all the people exalted and worshipped the Lord (vv. 18-19).
- As King Jehoshaphat focused on the greatness of his God, he approached the battle, not with soldiers, but with a choir leading the way (vv. 20-21).
- When they began to sing praises to God, the Lord intervened by routing their enemies (vv. 22-25).
- The people reacted with gratitude and worship to the great deliverance that they had received from God (vv. 26-28).
This supernatural response from King
Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah resulted in peace and rest for them as well
as a reverence for God from the surrounding nations (vv. 29-30). Let us also respond
supernaturally to any trouble that
confronts us – God will intervene in our behalf when we praise Him lavishly. Praise
affects our outlook and faith, opens the door for God to do great things for us
and through that makes us living witness of His acts of deliverance!
"Make a joyful shout to God, all the earth! Sing out the honor of His name; make His praise glorious. Say to God, "How awesome are Your works! Through the greatness of Your power Your enemies shall submit themselves to You. All the earth shall worship You and sing praises to You; they shall sing praises to Your name." (Psalms 66:1-4)
