LIFE SPINNING OUT OF CONTROL. Does it seem as if life is spinning out of control? There is war, killing, stealing, sexual immorality, natural disasters, sicknesses, money problems, economic problems, political corruption, and it plays on and on! When things go wrong, what do we do? We go into survival mode. Our immediate reaction is to take care of ourselves and our family.

We have been looking at how to successfully manage our money and the resources God has given us. We have determined that successfully managing money and possessions involves putting God first in everything we do.

When times get hard, no matter what, we need to trust God even more. We now, therefore, look at some biblical counseling on managing during hard times.

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Asking for God’s Help

Holy Father, we expect that tough times will come, and for many of us, they are here. Please give us the power, strength, and faith we need to trust in you during the hard times. In Jesus’ Name, Amen

Our need to feel safe and take care of our family needs take up a lot of our daily energy. So many things are asking for our attention. There are debts and bills to pay, children to care for, and property to maintain, not to mention our need to ensure that we have clothes, food, and shelter.

As a matter of fact, Jesus talks about these basic needs in His Sermon on the Mountain. Here in Mathew 6:32, 33, he addressed these needs, saying don’t worry about these things.

32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.

33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. (Matthew 6:32, 33).

During trying times, it becomes difficult not to worry, but God, in His word, the Bible, has provided us with sufficient evidence that he will take care of our needs even in tough times.

An example is King Jehoshaphat. The story about King Jehoshaphat is found in 2 Chronicles 20:1–22. It shows that we can trust God to show up during hard times.

Jehoshaphat was the king of Judah. He was a brave and intelligent king who managed his kingdom wisely. However, toward the close of His rulership as king, an army invaded the kingdom of Judah.

But does King Jehoshaphat need to be concerned?

As a good manager of the kingdom of Judah, he had spent many years strengthening his army and building a solid wall of defense for his cities. So, he was prepared to withstand any enemy that came up against them. But, when you read 2 Chronicles 20:1–22, you find that Jehoshaphat did not trust his defenses. Instead, he places his trust in God to save him and his people. 

2 Chronicles 20:1–22 tells us that Jehoshaphat seeks the Lord with all his heart. In this crisis, he did not put his confidence in his strength and power but in the power of God.

He prepared himself to seek the Lord by having all his people united and join him in a fast in which the people did not eat food for a specified time throughout the land of Judah. Then the people came together to stand before the Lord in the court outside the temple with their wives and children.

You see, King Solomon, Jehoshaphat’s great-great-great grandfather, had told the people to come to the temple and pray when they were in danger, assuring them that God would save them.

So, all the people of Judah stood in front of God. The people prayed that God would honor His name and help them by confusing their enemies.

Then King Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20:12 prayed, saying:

12 O our God, will You not judge them? 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.” (2 Chronicles 20:12).

So, after submitting themselves to God, early the next morning, with the Levitical choir in the front to sing the praises of God, they assembled before Him. While assembled, the Spirit of the Lord came upon a man of God, and he in 2 Chronicles 20:15-17 delivered the following powerful message: 

15 And he said, “Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the Lord to you: ‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.

16 Tomorrow go down against them. They will surely come up by the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the brook before the Wilderness of Jeruel.

17 You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.” (2 Chronicles 20:15–17).

So, early the following day, King Jehoshaphat met with the people. He put the singers of the Levitical choir at the front of his army to sing praises to God. Then in 2 Chronicles 20:20, we read:

20 So they rose early in the morning and went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa. As they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, O Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem: Believe in the Lord your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper.” (2 Chronicles 20:20) As the singers started to sing, the enemies of Judah became confused and destroyed each other. For it says in 2 Chronicles 20:24

24 So when Judah came to a place overlooking the wilderness, they looked toward the multitude; their dead bodies were fallen on the earth. No one had escaped.  (2 Chronicles 20:24)

We are then told that the men of Judah collected treasure from the dead men killed in battle. It took them three days to collect all the treasures. On the fourth, the men of Judah returned to Jerusalem, singing praises on their way back into the city.

The God who saved them is the same God we love and worship. His power is just as great today as it was then. The challenge for us, then, is to trust in Him and His leading.

In the case of King Jehoshaphat, despite all the defenses he had put up, instead of placing his trust in his own defenses, he put his trust in God. What is the danger of trusting in our know-how, ingenuity, and security? Find out on Day 3: Trust God, Not Your Own Resources

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Hebron Seventh-day Adventist Church

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Houston, TX 77088

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