Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
Joshua 1:9
Joshua 1:9
![]() Over the years, I have realized something interesting about myself. If I sense my family is in danger, I make a bold effort to address it. For example, if I awake during the night to any strange sound, instead of awaking my husband to go see what is happening, I get up and boldly go to find out what the problem is myself. I used to think I would be afraid, but I have come to realise that once I feel that my family might be in danger, boldness takes the place of fear and I make the effort to deal with it myself. It may not seem wise, especially if there really is any real danger. But, I have come to realise, that a sense of protectiveness comes over me and I choose to face the problem rather than run from it. This reminds me of the story I have been writing about for the past couple of weeks (2 Chronicles 20:1-30). When God told king Jehoshaphat and his people to position themselves, stand still and see how He would deliver them from their enemies, He also told them in that same verse 17: “Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.” I love to look at words and how they are used. Believe it or not, the word “against” came to my attention. When I looked it up, one of the synonyms in the Strong’s Concordance jumped out at me - “face.” In other words, God was telling them to face their enemies, face the problem. He did not want them to run from it. Remember, their “problem” was not a small one. In fact, this combined army that had come against them was huge enough to cause them to want to run from them in the first place. Their problem was much bigger than they were and they knew that in themselves there was no way they could defeat them. That may sound familiar to many of us. There are challenges that come our way that are way bigger than what we can handle on our own. In fact, even if we were to enlist help, we still would not be able to handle it. Some challenges are like that. I remember acknowledging a few years ago that the challenge I was facing was so much bigger than me that only God could deliver me from it. No, I did not want to have to face it. No, I did not want to have to go through it but I had to acknowledge that God and God alone would be able to get me through. We may never have the luxury to run from some battles. So, our only recourse is to face them, as ugly and as terrifying as they might be. But, here is the thing: God did not just tell king Jehoshaphat and his people to go out against their enemies. He gave them some comforting words: “Do not fear or be dismayed … for the Lord is with you.” All of that in one verse! God did not expect them to face the problem alone, He would be right there with them. We are never alone. I have said this many times. God has promised to never leave us nor forsake us. The problem is, the situation may feel so terrifying, we may feel as if He is not there, as if we have to battle all by ourselves. But, we don’t! Everything God instructed the Jews to do, it was with the assurance that they would not have to do it alone. God’s assurance to us today is that we will not have to do our battles alone. He wants us to face the battle, not run from it because greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world. When king Jehoshaphat and his people reached the place where they could look out over their enemies, all they saw was dead bodies (v.24). God had defeated this vast army for them. He did not send them to face their problem but to see what He had already done for them. We may not always see the evidence of what God has already done and is doing for us, but we can confidently stand on His promise that the battle belongs to Him. And, if it belongs to Him, then He has already won it. In short, He will make a way, He will see us through. If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. God did not create us to face battles on our own. He is more than willing and able to intervene on our behalf. He will not leave us to face our challenges alone, but is always there to help us in our time of need.
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![]() Last week I looked at the story of king Jehoshaphat and the combined army that came against him and his people, Judah. His choice to keep his eyes on his God and to worship worked in their favour. However, there was one word that caught my attention and it is found in verse 17 (NKJV): “You will not need to fight in this battle. POSITION yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord who is with you…” That one word “position” got my attention and I began to think about it. One version (ESV) states: “hold your position.” Another translation (KJV) says, “set yourselves…” The dictionary defines “position” as to put or arrange (someone or something) in a particular place or way. At one point I found it contradictory that God would, on the one hand, tell His people that they would not need to fight in this battle but then tell them to position themselves. It seemed to me that He was telling them to get ready for battle although they were not going to fight! Yet, one look at the words which come right after makes it a bit clearer: “stand still and see the salvation of the Lord who is with you…” God was not calling them to fight but to get ready to see what He would do. While they waited, they worshiped and they kept their focus on their God who could do what they could not do. Their enemies may have been positioning themselves to fight against them but they were positioning themselves to let God fight for them. This, however, was not just a physical positioning that God was calling them to. It was rather a position of the heart. God wanted their hearts to be in the right place to receive the good He had in store for them. Remember, prior to this event, their hearts were far from their God and king Jehoshaphat and his father, Asa, had gone to great lengths to turn their hearts back to the Lord their God. Imagine if this had happened during that backslidden time. They might not have turned to the Lord their God for help and would have tried to fight on their own. They might even have enlisted the help of other nations to fight with them … and would have been defeated! We too must “position” ourselves when challenges come our way. It’s not just about what we do when we face our battles but about the position of our heart when overwhelming challenges come our way. It’s about having a heart of trust when it seems everything is falling apart. It’s about having a heart of obedience to do whatever God tells us to do even when it doesn’t make sense. I am reminded of the children of Israel when faced with the Red Sea in front of them and their enemies, the Egyptians, behind them (Exodus 14:8-15). They had to choose to trust God and His servant Moses and to obey them when it did not make sense. God told them to go forward (v.15b). That did not make sense when the Red Sea was blocking their path. No one had even seen a large body of water part before, but they had to trust God when capture by their enemies looked imminent. They had to obey His Word to go forward even when there was no way they could move the body of water in front of them. Sometimes, like the Israelites, we too may feel trapped and we may feel as if there is no way out. But God is concerned about the position of our heart. Will we trust Him when things seem hopeless; will we obey His instructions even though it doesn’t make sense? When He tells us to worship, will we worship or will we grumble? When He instructs us to let it go, will we obey or will we hold on as we desperately try to work it out on our own? We can accomplish a lot by our actions; but a lot more can be done when our heart is rightly positioned in God. Trust that He knows what is best; trust that He will get the job done even better than what we can accomplish in our own strength. If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. Above all else, God wants our hearts; He wants us to trust Him, to obey Him. He will never lead us astray and He knows how to bring the best out of every challenge that comes our way. ![]() At some point in time in our lives, we may go through situations where we feel outnumbered and overwhelmed. We may feel as if our back is against the wall and are uncertain of what the final outcome may be. This was possibly how king Jehoshaphat felt when a combined army from Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, came against his tiny nation of Judah (2 Chronicles 20:1-30). This was the same Jehoshaphat who, like his father, Asa, made great efforts to establish religious reform in Judah. He did all he could to bring his people back to the Lord their God. However, one fateful day, he was told that a large army was coming against him. He became afraid and decided to seek his God and encouraged all of his people to do the same. There is nothing wrong with being afraid in challenging situations. It is a normal human response. The problem, however, is who or what we choose to run to when we are afraid. King Jehoshaphat did not think twice; he knew exactly Who to run to in a dire situation like this one. He did not run to his officials seeking advice on what to do; he did not run to his family or friends, he ran straight to God and he encouraged his people to do the same. He was leading by example, letting them know that God was their only hope. In times of trouble, who do you run to? When you realise that no one else and nothing else can help, where do you turn? King Jehoshaphat cried out earnestly to God from his heart. Towards the end of his prayer, he said something interesting that God brought to my attention years ago. In verse 12 he says: “…For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do but our eyes are upon You.” The last part of that verse: "… but our eyes are upon You,” shows that at that point, when faced with a problem of gargantuan proportions, they were going to shift their focus. The large army was real, their tiny size in comparison was also real, but their God was even more real and more powerful than it all! They were going to trust in their God that He somehow would come through for them … even when the problem seemed to have already defeated them. They were not going to focus on their expected defeat by this great army but on their God’s expected victory in this situation. It truly takes a lot to have faith in the face of obviously challenging circumstances. Defeat may seem inevitable, it may seem like there is no way out, it may seem like things may never change. However, when we turn our focus to God, it means we are giving Him the chance to turn things around, to make the impossible, possible! When King Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah looked earnestly to their God, he promised to fight for them (vv.15, 17). And fight He did! As they sang and praised their God, He caused their enemies to begin fighting among themselves until every last man was killed (vv.22-24). Judah did not have to lift a finger or a weapon to fight! God did it for them! All they had to do was gather the spoil (v.25). It may not always be easy to surrender completely to God and to trust Him but in the end it is worth it. We cannot always determine the outcome of our battles…that’s God’s job. When we put our eyes on Him, whatever He chooses to do and however He chooses to do it, is His choice…not ours. We just have to trust that He will come through for us, that He will bring good out of the evil that was meant for us. If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. God knows that challenges will come your way, it’s a part of life. What He wants you to do is to trust Him, to turn your eyes to Him with the confidence that He will fight for you, He will take care of you and He will bring you through! So, trust Him! ![]() In the very first chapter of the book of Job, we read an interesting account of a man called Job. He was described as a man who was perfect and upright, one who feared God and shunned evil (v.1). He was also a very rich man, with numerous sheep, camels, oxen, and donkeys. He was in fact considered the greatest of men in the east. However, one day, God decided to test Job to prove to the devil that Job would be faithful to Him no matter what. With permission from God, Satan struck Job’s animals, some were killed, others stolen. He had seven sons and three daughters. While they were feasting in their oldest brother’s house, a strong wind came and the house collapsed on them, killing them all. When Job heard the tragic news, he tore his mantle, shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped God (vv.20-21). This was not the typical response that anyone would give, but Job gave it. He was crushed to be sure, but he made a choice not to become angry with his God. In verse 20, the word ‘worshipped’ (Hebrew: shâchâh), signifies to prostrate oneself in homage to royalty or God; to bow down. Job had a choice. He was certainly overcome with grief but instead of crying out in anger or anguish, he chose to bow before his God. What comes to my mind is that he chose not to bow to anger, or bitterness or even grief … but to his God. His God was bigger than what he was going through and was the only One powerful enough to take him through this tragedy. In short, Job shifted his focus from the problem to his God: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb and naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord” (v.21). I also recall the testimony of Maxine, who for several years had suffered with a persistent cough that made her life challenging. She was diagnosed as having bronchiectasis, an incurable lung disease. She had to use a nebuliser twice a day to help clear her lungs. She truly believed that God would heal her. She and her husband prayed for her healing. She also leaned on Exodus 23:25 (NIV) which says: “Worship the Lord your God and His blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you.” She finally got down on her knees before the Lord one day, determined to worship Him. She also asked Him to honour her husband’s prayer for her healing. As she worshipped, she felt God’s presence and power in her spirit so strongly that she knew that she was healed. From that moment, she never again had another coughing spell. She went to her follow up doctor's appointment a month later. Her doctor was pleased with her progress but ordered another follow up six months later. At that appointment, according to Maxine, she was still healed! I love the fact that Maxine determined to worship God. In short, she determined to bow before her God, acknowledging Him as more powerful than her sickness. She did not bow to fear, she did not bow to discouragement, she did not bow to her doctor’s diagnosis, she bowed to her God. He deserved the honour and glory, not her sickness. Job too, chose to bow before God, not his circumstances, not his situation. What are we bowing to today? Are we bowing to sickness, fear, discouragement, anger, bitterness, our situation? Or, is God getting the glory in spite of what we are going through? Worship is a choice. What we worship is also a choice. When Maxine bowed before God she got the help she needed. When Job bowed before God he was abundantly blessed. Whatever the situation may be, no matter how hopeless, you can choose to bow to the situation in defeat or bow to God in victory. But, rest assured that when you bow to God, He will never fail you. If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. God wants to be your Healer and Deliverer. He wants to be the One that you run to, that you bow to because He knows He is the only One with the answer that you need. |
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February 2025
AuthorThis blog provides inspirational nuggets inspired by the Word of God and serves to encourage and motivate Christians in their Christian walk. |