Crucible of Interruption

I work on a church staff and am blessed to be surrounded by incredible people every single day in my job. I find myself constantly challenged to think about why I believe what I believe as well as the decisions I am making about how I live my life. Last week in staff meeting was just such a time. We have a fairly new student minister on staff named Doug. Doug is currently working on his doctorate in student ministry and is incredibly smart and down to earth all at the same time. During a brief devotion time Doug challenged us to think about this statement...People in ministry are often expected to have all the answers....The reality is that either we put this on ourselves or it is an expectation put on us by those we minister to. Either way, its quite a load of ridiculousness. The funny thing is that even though I can write that here with deep conviction that I really mean it, I have to stop and think about if I really live my life as though I mean it. Know what I mean? If I'm called to do what I'm doing then everything that comes across my desk, path, through my door, etc. is God's battle and I'm called to fight it His way...ultimately to let Him fight it for me. Sounds like a great plan right? Well then why on earth do I make the decision to fight for myself so often? As if I even stand a chance of figuring things out on my own and that ending well. Insert Jehoshaphat here (we'll call him Jehosh for short, cause its way easier to type)...I spent the better part of last week glued to II Chronicles 20 fascinated by this great king of Judah who truly gets what we're talking about here and begging God to help me get it too.

Background:
Jehoshaphat reigned as King for 25 years, a reign that shown brightly of his devotion to the Lord. II Chron 17 mentions that "The Lord was with Jehoshaphat...because he sought the God of his father and followed his commands....his heart was devoted to the ways of the Lord..."

Jeshosh's Shining Moment:
When we show up on the scene in chapter 20 we find King Jehosh in a bit of a predicament. This is where his true dependence on God is put to the test. Here the choice is simple: humility before God or pride in himself as capable ruler over the people. King Jehosh receives word that his nation is under attack, not by one, but three vast armies. It's when I get to verse three that I have to stop and let my jaw drop for a sec. "Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord, and he proclaimed a fast for all of Judah". I don't know about y'all, but this is the kind of leader I want to follow. He didn't gather all his mighty men, begin to draw battle plans, seek advice from some war council or tuck tail and run. He RESOLVED to inquire of the Lord and he besieged a vast number of people in his kingdom to do likewise. He then led his people in a prayer to God.

The prayer of Jehoshaphat (sounds like a good book title!):
1. He begins by recognizing WHO God is... "Are you not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms and all the nations. Power and might are in your hand and no one can withstand you.
2. He reflects on WHAT God has already done... "Did you not drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham?"
3. He acknowledges WHERE he belongs... ""We have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us".
4. He wraps up his prayer by leaving it in God's hands... "We do not know what to do but our eyes are upon you."

The End:
In verse 30 we see the end result of this nation wide prayer meeting..."And the Kingdom of Jehoshaphat was at peace, for his God had given him rest on every side." So what happened between the time Jehosh lifts up his prayer to this time of rest? The Lord promised to come through....to be who He said He'd be. And as the army of Judah marched into battle singing songs of praise to God (literally), He brought them a great deliverance.

"...and all the people of Judah fell down in worship before the Lord."

So what are the Take-Aways?

• People who make the choice to walk in obedience to God are not exempt from hard things.
  
• The Lord desires to fight our battles for us and asks that we resolve to inquire of him.
  
• Worship is a weapon.
  
• Dependence on God delivers true rest for our souls, even in the midst of battle

The challenge that I received in this study, that I pass on to you now, is this... What's one thing that you do not know the answer to that you need to inquire of the Lord about right now?

For me it was regarding a direction that I need to take to meet the needs of single women in my ministry? And as a testimony let me just say that the Lord has been answering that big time over the past week. I look forward to letting y'all in on that journey in the days ahead.