Please e-mail me with any comments or if you use any part of this at your church at Mail4ChrisR@aol.com. I would love to hear about it. God Bless! - Chris
Series: “What To Do”
See also I Don’t Know What To Do; But I’m Disappointed; But I Just Can’t Win; But Life is Too Hard; What You Need, God Has)
2 Chronicles 20:1-17
Series: “What to Do”
Hey God, I Don’t Know What To Do
Outline:
Intro: What should we do in the face of life’s stress? Stress is what King Jehoshaphat must have felt when he found out about the upcoming war. We can learn some lessons about stress management from this great leader.
I. Seek the Lord (v. 3)
A. Jehoshaphat did not try to do it himself
B. For success, people need God’s favor and guidance
II. Ask for help from the Lord (v. 4)
A. There may be times when we are too afraid to ask for God’s help in fear of the answer
B. Using all of our strength includes asking for help
We ask God for help. And then what happens? We wait. What do we do while we wait for God’s response?
I. Know that the Spirit of the Lord will come (v. 14)
II. Manage our fear (v. 15)
III. Know that the Lord will be with you (v. 17)
Conclusion: Don’t let stress fracture you. God is always available and willing to listen and help.
Sermon:
Well, it’s finally September. I have thought lots about September throughout the summer. The reason of course, the one year anniversary of the attacks on America on September 11th, 2001. After the tragedy most churches reported a spurt in attendance during the month of September. And now most churches and most pastors I speak with tell me that the Great Awakening of 2001 has died down. It is my hope that as people remember the tragedy of last year, we will also remember the hope and peace that brought our nation together. I hope we will remember the National Day of Prayer, with President Bush and The Reverend Billy Graham speaking of God and turning to God for answers and guidance. There was an acknowledgment by our government and by our people for the need to seek a higher power as we looked for answers.
Many who lost loved ones and the rest of the country that mourned did ask some important questions. But of all the questions we asked I think most important was the question, “What do we do now?” Many shouted to the heavens, “Hey God, I don’t know what to do.“
One year later some continue to ask and some will recall the statement. Some don’t know what to do? What to do when planes pierce buildings and thousands of people die in an instant? What to do when my family is coming apart at the seams? What to do when I’m disappointed? What to do when life is too hard or when I just can’t seem to win? What do we do?
This month we are going to spend some time looking at what God suggests we do when we don’t know what else to do.
(Pause for transition)
Tragedies come, lives fall apart. What often remains is stress. Even when the times are good stress is often enemy number 1, isn’t it? Overcommitment. Deadlines. Unrealized expectations. People problems. A stack of phone calls to return. Taking one kid to the 6 o’clock practice on one side of town and the other to the 6 o’clock appointment on the other side of town. And bills, who can forget bills. It often becomes too much. And just when you thought that was the worst, something else happens.
We have all been there. We have all done that. Life. It can become stressful.
Sports Illustrated offers a great stroke to paint this picture.
“A stress fracture begins when the shocks and strain of playing a game create microscopic cracks in the outer layers of bone – usually in the legs and feet. If the pounding continues and those crevices, which often go undetected, aren’t allowed to heal, they can enlarge. When the cracks become large enough to cause pain, they are stress fractures.”
Did you catch that? If pounding continues and they don’t heal the pain will increase and the stress fractures can enlarge. That is exactly what I am talking about. If life’s pains go unhealed they will enlarge.
Stress fractures are not just something athletes are susceptible to. The cracks are not limited to bones, the worst stress fracture can be that of a stress-fractured spirit. And stress does not always come from the bad times. Stress comes from the times we are striving to get ahead. Perhaps, neglecting the family to get ahead at work. Or neglecting the work and family to get ahead at your golf score, in order to show off to the buddies. Or maybe, racking up the credit card bills, so that you can keep up with the Jones’s. It’s stress.
Stress is what King Jehoshaphat must have felt when the people came to him and said, “Sir, there are three nations about to attack us, we don’t know what to do.” Stress is what our national leaders must have felt when the people came and said, “Sir, two planes just attacked and hit the World Trade Center towers, we don’t know what to do.”
Well, I don’t know what President Bush did when he got the news, but I can only hope that he took a look at the way Jehoshaphat handled the situation.
Jehoshaphat was a priest who traveled with the ark of the covenant. His task was to blow the trumpet. He was a recorder in the administration of King Solomon and King David. And eventually, Jehoshaphat became King of Judah, at the age of 35 and reigned for 25 years. His career was marked with many triumphs, recorded in the Books of 1 and 2 Kings. The greatest of these must have been ending the warfare that had gone on continuously between Israel and Judah since the death of Solomon. He proved to be an able ruler. He succeeded in bringing Edom under his control. He had a mighty army for his vast lands. He was feared and held in the highest regard by all surrounding nations. Philistines and Arabs, alike, brought him tributes and gifts.
But the chronicler, records of one day when his people came to him and said, “Sir, we have a problem, a vast army of three nations is coming against you from Edom, they are already near by.” “Sir, what to do?” In verse 3 it says the loyal and devoted King was alarmed. Now I read quite a bit about Jehoshaphat and his many triumphs and this is the first account I am aware of that Jehoshaphat became alarmed. Let’s look at verse 3.
Sounds like Jehoshaphat was stressed. In the face of this stress, the first thing the great leader did was Seek the Lord.
Jehoshaphat had a great army. He had lots of experience. He was a great and feared leader. He could have handled the situation, no problem, right? But he was resolved to seek the Lord. He proclaimed a fast across the land. He knew many things, but one thing Jehoshaphat knew for sure, was that “With God all things are possible.” Jehoshaphat knew that success in war meant they needed God’s favor, God’s guidance, and God’s wisdom. Jehoshaphat knew that if God was for them, they could not lose. So he made sure to seek God, and that everyone across the nation was seeking God in fasting and prayer.
A little boy was spending his Saturday morning playing in his sandbox. In the process of creating roads and tunnels for his toy cars, he discovered a large rock in the middle of the sandbox. The boy dug around the rock, managing to dislodge it from the dirt. He pushed and nudged the rock across the sandbox by using his feet. He was a very small boy and this was a very large rock. When he got it to the edge of the sandbox, however, he found that he couldn’t roll it up and over the little wall.
Determined the little boy pushed, shoved and pried but every time he thought he had made progress the rock fell back into the sandbox. Again the little boy pushed and shoved until he smashed his chubby fingers and burst into tears of frustration.
All this time the boy’s father watched from the living room window as the drama unfolded. At the moment the tear fell, a large shadow fell across the boy and the sandbox. It was the boy’s father. Gently but firmly he said, “Son, why didn’t you use all the strength you had available?”
Defeated the boy sobbed back, “But I did, daddy, I did. I used all the strength I had!”
“No, son,” corrected the father kindly. “You didn’t use all the strength you had. You didn’t ask me.”
And then the father reached down, picked up the rock and removed it from the sandbox.
Look at verse 4.
Jehoshaphat knew that he could try to push and shove all he wanted but success would not come without the Father’s help. So, he asked for help from the Lord. I believe that often we get so caught up in our own strength that we do forget to ask for help from God. I also believe that we can get so caught up in seeking God that we can forget to ask for help from God. Jehoshaphat resolved to seek God first and then he asked for help.
I think there is an important lesson here. We can seek God and take our problems to God but I think there are times when some of us are too afraid to ask for God’s help. Perhaps, we are afraid he will tell us to do something about our problems that we don’t want to do. But we have to know that often our strength is not enough to overcome the big rocks in our sandbox. And when we come to that realization we should use all of our strength and ask Our Heavenly Father for help.
(Pause)
So Jehoshaphat asked the Lord for help. And he has a nice formula for that in verses 5 through 12. He prays to God for divine guidance and wisdom. He acknowledges God’s power and authority. He promises God that He and the people will continue to love and adore him, despite the outcome. And he asks God to help them. I love verse 12.
Jehoshaphat said, “Hey God, I don’t know what to do! HELP!”
Often, we get like this don’t we. We find ourselves alarmed, stressed about something in life. And we seek the Lord. We ask God for help. And then what happens? We wait. Some of you are facing problems and still waiting. Some wait for years to get an answer. Some only have to wait weeks, days, or even hours. God does His thing in His time. And we have to recognize that this can test our patience and our faith. This is when stress can build up and go without healing and become enlarged. This is when stress can fracture our spirits.
But Look at what happens here for Jehoshaphat. While waiting, knowing the enemy is drawing closer, God moves. I think that while we wait for God’s response to our problems and perhaps in response to our problems God will do some great things around us.
Look at verse 14.
You see, while waiting for response or perhaps in response to our prayers and petitions for help, we can be assured that the Spirit of the Lord will come. Often God will speak to you through the wisdom of someone close to you. The National Institute for Mental Health reported that “many of our daily conversations are actually mutual counseling sessions whereby we exchange the reassurance and advice that help us deal with routine stresses.” And I doubt that our encounters are coincidental. I think God’s Spirit can work through someone, even a non-believer, to help us overcome our anxiety.
God’s spirit came though Jahaziel. God’s Spirit will come and we will be comforted once we have asked God for help. We have to remain open and attentive to what happens around us. We also have to remain open and receptive to the working of the Holy Spirit. But we have to know that the Spirit of the Lord will come.
In response to our prayers God also wants us to manage our fear. Look at verse 15.
It is perhaps the most quotable quote of all time. The great FDR telling a troubled nation, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” FDR is partly right. Perhaps it is not the only thing, but we should not fear fear. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of life’s stresses. Do not be afraid or discouraged because terrorists threaten us with all of their hate and murder.
God says, “When you come to me for help, remember that the battle is no longer yours, it belongs to me.” Do not fear. Do not tremble. Stand firm. Keep your mind on things above, not of things on earth. God speaks to us continuously throughout scripture about our need to overcome fear. There is no threat that God cannot handle.
And finally when you are waiting for God’s response to your cries for help, you should know that the Lord will be with you. Look at verse 17.
This verse makes me think of my favorite hymn: A Mighty Fortress is Our God. One appropriate for any Sunday around September 11th. Martin Luther writes so eloquently and we sing so confidently, in verse 3: And though this world with devils filled, should threaten to undo us, we will not fear, for God hath willed his truth to triumph through us.” Our God is a mighty fortress, a bulwark never failing. Go out and face your fears tomorrow because the Lord will be with you.
Do you have “rocks” in your life that need to be removed? Are you realizing that your strength is not enough to lift them out of the way? Is fear, anxiety, or stress fracturing your relationships with your family, with yourself, or most importantly with God?
Some treat their stress fractures with alcohol and drugs, extramarital affairs, pornography, or hyperactive lifestyles. One pastor points out in his book, “That’s no treatment … it’s more like pouring a jug of gasoline on a match. There has to be a better way.”
Don’t let stress fracture you. God is always available and willing to give us strength we need to overcome obstacles and to accomplish great things for Him.
When we seek God, pray for his help, and trust he will answer, God will encourage us. When we cry out because of our fear and stress “Hey God, I don’t know what to do!!” God shouts back, “Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.”
Let us pray.
