S 2 Chronicles 20:5 Then Jehoshaphat stood up in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem at the temple of the LORD in the front of the new courtyard 6 and said:
"O LORD, God of our fathers, are you not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you. 7 O our God, did you not drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend? 8 They have lived in it and have built in it a sanctuary for your Name, saying, 9 'If calamity comes upon us, whether the sword of judgment, or plague or famine, we will stand in your presence before this temple that bears your Name and will cry out to you in our distress, and you will hear us and save us. 10 "But now here are men from Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, whose territory you would not allow Israel to invade when they came from Egypt; so they turned away from them and did not destroy them. 11 See how they are repaying us by coming to drive us out of the possession you gave us as an inheritance. 12 O our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you."
O The context of the scripture is one where Jehoshaphat is completely overwhelmed with a circumstance which he has no power or control over.
The prayer that he prays is one of confidence in God, but frustration over what has happened.
There is a statement that suggest he has no plan, no idea what to do next because of the severity of the obstacles. They are completely outside of his ability to do anything about them. Jehoshaphat says that these events do not line up with what God's stated direction and promise are for His people.
This last statement of his prayer says that in his frustration and fear and lack of understanding of why this happened his eyes are on the Lord.
A When I find myself in situations that are not in line with what God has promised and the direction He has lead, my job is to completely turn my attention to Him.
There are times when we are to use the gifts God has given to us.
Times to do the things that we have gotten good at with the help of the Lord.
There are times that our skills and God's provision are His solution to our problems.
However sometimes the leader is to just lead people to the presence of God and cast our cares upon him.
Jehoshaphat told God who He was and confessed that he, Jehoshaphat, was not. He built up his faith by recounting the acts of God and rehearsing His promises to His people.
This is a pattern of the people of God in the Old Covenant and the New Covenant.
"Acts 4:24And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is:25Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things? 26The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ.27For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together, 28For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done. 29And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word, 30By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus. 31And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness."
I am in good company to follow this pattern.
P "O LORD, the God who is in heaven.
You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations including this church that I pastor.
Power and might are in your hand, and you have displayed that power in our past time and again.
O our God, you placed this church in this community and raised it up under the leadership of those previous to me. They have lived and worked here and built the foundations for the ministry that has been established for your Name.
But now here are circumstances, opportunities and obstacles that we have no power to deal with. Many of our challenges and opportunities involve financial resources that are completely outside of our ability to produce them.
O our God, will you not invade our circumstances as you have so many times before. For we have no power to face this vast challenge.
We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you. May they remain there.
I declare my complete dependence on you today.
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