What To Do

Christian Working Woman Transcript

Tuesday, January 20, 2009 and Wednesday, January 21, 2009
- What to Do When You Don’t Know What to Do

What do you do when you don’t know what to do? We’re looking at 2 Chronicles 20 where Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, had to fight a vast enemy army and from all outward appearances, his little ill-equipped army was going to be soundly defeated.

When Jehoshaphat realized he didn’t know what to do, he called all the people together and prayed for God’s help. From his prayer I want to point out seven R's that I hope you'll remember, because this shows you what to do when you don’t know what to do.

The first R - recite who God is

Jehoshaphat prayed:

You are 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.
Jehoshaphat's first move was to remind himself and his people of God and his power. And it has to be our first move, too. We must have an in-depth knowledge of the nature of God. That means we must get to know God. Are you able to recite the nature and character of God? Is it firmly established in your heart and mind? When there are no answers, we must begin by reciting who God is.

The second R - remember God's great works

Jehoshaphat’s prayer continues:

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?
Isn't it amazing how your memory goes on you when you're in a crisis or when you're discouraged? It takes an act of our will to remember what we should remember. But it's really important at these times that we purposely remember God's past miracles in our lives, his faithfulness to us in days gone by, his deeds of old, as Jehoshaphat did. That's important to remember, when you don’t know what to do.

The third R - recall God's promises.

Notice that next Jehoshaphat recalls God's promises to the children of Israel. He says:

If calamity comes upon us...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.
The Bible has promises there just for you, did you know that? Have you learned to turn to God's Word and ask for a promise when you face an impossible situation?

I remember when I first started this ministry on one station in the Chicago area in 1984. As it began to grow, I was frightened; I knew how inadequate and inexperienced I was. And I really wanted to back out. But I couldn't deny that God had opened the doors in a miraculous way.

So, I sat down with my Bible and asked God to confirm his calling with a promise. From Isaiah 50 God gave me this promise:

The Sovereign Lord has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. . . Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame.
Many times I've gone back to that promise and it has sustained me and strengthened me time and time again. Do you need a promise from God right now? You’ll find them in his Word.

The fourth R - restate the problem to God.

Now, Jehoshaphat restates his problem. He prays:

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. See how they are repaying us by coming to drive us out of the possession you gave us as an inheritance. O our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us.
The sequence is extremely important. You restate the problem after you have recited who God is, remembered what he has done and recalled his promises to you. Then you're ready to focus on the problem because you're then God-centered instead of self-centered.