Facing The Giants Of Your Life With Prayer Series

“Facing The Giants In Your Life With Prayer”

Text: 2 Chronicles 20:1-30

We all have probably heard the story of David and Goliath in I Samuel 17…how God used a brave young man full of faith to face a huge hulk of a man so that God could get the glory. With sling in hand, he chose 5 smooth stones from a brook and yelled charge as he ran into a valley of certain death. It was then that God guided his actions and the stone that he hurled went right between the eyes of the giant who fell flat.

David is not the only person to come up against a giant. All who are believers in Jesus Christ will find themselves quite often I’m afraid face to face with big challenges, some seeming impossible challenges! You and I find ourselves staring into the eyes of a Goliath! Then either fear or faith takes over. Most often it is fear and an expectation that we are about to be squashed!

In our story this morning, the king of Judah, King Jehosophat and the people of God are faced with a GIANT PROBLEM and they are faced with a GIANT QUESTION – Will we shrink in FEAR & UNBELIEF at what our human eyes and ears are seeing and hearing or will we throw ourselves on and TRUST THE ONLY ONE that can help us face this GIANT ISSUE we are facing.

Jehoshaphat was a relatively obscure ruler of the southern kingdom of Judah. Second Chronicles 20 gives us a snapshot on a day in his life that began like any other day, but quickly turned into chaos:

Verses 1 & 2 say, “After this, the Moabites and Ammonites with some of the Meunites came to make war on Jehoshaphat. Some men came and told Jehoshaphat, "A vast army is coming against you from Edom, from the other side of the Sea. It is already in Hazazon Tamar"

It was "after this," our author notes, that enemies from the east sought to invade and overcome Judah. It is significant to note that these armies massed and mounted their attack at this particular time. Jehoshaphat was on a high. This was a time of great victory for the young king. God had made him his instrument to bring about a great revival in the land - 1 Chronicles 19:4-11 records that.

With the announcement of the invasion, King Jehoshaphat comes down from his high in a hurry. Hazazon Tamar was a town only fifteen miles from Jerusalem, less than a day's march away and he is faced with a giant decision and a giant of a dilemma.

This morning, I want to speak about what I believe to be one of the greatest formulas for how to deal with PROBLEMS, TRIALS AND IMPOSSIBILITIES in our lives.

When you and I are faced with “giants” in our lives like sickness, wayward children, a troubled marriage, financial loss, death of a loved one and the list goes on and on, YOU FILL IN THE BLANK THIS MORNING - we must respond the way Jehosophat and the people of Israel responded. It truly affords us the greatest chance of surviving and a path that will lead to – thriving and blessing!!!

NOTE/COMMERICAL: In a family as well as in a church, almost everything RISES AND FALLS WITH – SPIRITUAL LEADERSHIP!! As Leaders as fathers, as leaders here at LCC, we must be spiritually wise & valiant in how we lead those who are under our care. Jehoshaphat & His wise and godly leadership shouts to us this sobering command – BE ETERNALLY CAREFUL HOW YOU LEAD. BE ETERNALLY CAREFUL HOW YOU RESPOND TO THE BIG CHALLENGES OF LIFE!!! Others are watching and God is holding us responsible to lead others faithfully - to HIM!!!!

“Facing the Giants Of Your Life With Prayer”

Watch what Jeshosophat and the people of God do in response to this great challenge they are facing…………

The first thing we must do is turn to God in prayer and share our need with other believers. (20:1- 4)

That is what the King did in the opening verses of chapter 20. Verse 3 says he was “alarmed” literally “woken up & aroused” and what does he do – HE CALLS UPON THE LORD & CALLS HIS PEOPLE TO JOIN HIM!!!

He could have …..given in to fear and began to humanly try to deal with this giant problem.

He could have……given into laziness and believed that what they were facing was really not that bad.

He could have ……trusted & rested in his past victories and might and just not worry about from that standpoint but ………….

HE DOES WHAT IS – NOT NATURAL!!! He calls on the Lord to deal with the fear, the worry, the uncertainty & the hopelessness!