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Vision in Crisis
Delivered: 3/28/2010 by Andy Sparks
Passage: 2 Chronicles 20
Purpose: In times of trouble, especially crisis, we need to fix our eyes on God
Stu Webber, in his book “Four Pillars of a Man’s Heart” tells the true story of Little Billy. In the mid-1980’s a missionary family serving overseas came home on furlough, needing a little R & R. Through the graciousness of friends, they’d been provided with the use of a summer home on a beautiful lake.
One bright summer morning, Mom was in the kitchen fussing with the baby and preparing lunch for the family. Dad was in the boathouse puttering with something. And the three children present were out on the lawn between the home and the edge of the lake. Three-year old “little Billy” was under the care of a five-year old sister and a twelve year old cousin.
When sister and cousin became distracted with some mutual interest, little Billy decided it would be an opportune time to wander down to the water and check out that shiny little aluminum boat that had been bobbing so temptingly beside the dock. The trouble is, three year olds having limited experience in getting from a stable dock to a bobbing boat. With one foot on the dock and the other stretching toward the boat, Little Billy lost his balance and fell into five or six feet of water beside the dock.
The splash alerted the 12 yr. old, who let loose a piercing scream. That brought Dad on the run. After scoping out the situation for a second or two, he dove into the murky water and began a desperate search for his little boy. But the lake was murky, and Dad couldn’t see a thing. With lungs desperate for air, he resurfaced, grabbed another gasp of air, and plunged back under. Sick with panic, the only thing he could think to do was to extend his arms and legs as far as he could and try to feel little Billy’s whereabouts. Having nearly exhausted his oxygen a second time, he began to ascend once again for another breath.
On his way up, he felt little Billy, arms locked in a death grip to a pier post some four feet under the water. Prying the boy’s fingers loose, they burst together through the surface to fill their lungs with life-giving air.
Adrenaline continued to surge. Conversation would not return to normal for a long time. Dad just carried little Billy around, holding him close, unable to put him down for some time. Finally, when heart rates had returned to normal and nerves and calmed a bit, this missionary dad turned his boy with a question.
“Billy, what on earth were you doing down there, hanging onto that post so far under water?”
Little Billy’s reply, “Just waitin’ for you, Dad. Just waitin' for you!”
We sometimes find ourselves in situations where we’re in over our heads too. Problems are dropped in our laps that are way too big for us. How do we respond when trouble replaces our tranquility? Do we tend to lose our vision in times of crises?
Jehoshaphat, King of Judah, was presented with one of these during his reign. Turn to 2 Chronicles 20 to see how he handled it. I taught this lesson to a class of 1st and 2nd graders back in August. I memorized a verse in this story back then and I can’t tell you how many situations I’ve been in where I’ve hauled out this verse and repeated it in my mind.
2. Bible
Jehoshapaht’s bio:
-872 – 848 BC
20:32 He walked in the ways of his father Asa and did not stray from them; he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord
-5 kings removed from David; 3rd King of Judah, southern kingdom
-2 Chron. 17:3 summary verse
,”The Lord was with Jehoshaphat because in his early years he walked in the ways his father David had followed.”
- 17:10 The fear of the Lord fell on all the kingdoms of the lands surrounding Judah, so that they did not make war with Jehoshaphat. Philistines and Arabs were sending gifts to Jehoshaphat.
Main story
-Read v. 1-24; 29-30
-The 3 armies were from the countries on the other side of the Dead Sea, swinging south and making there way up through the mountains on the west side heading toward Jerusalem.. “For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us”
It would be like the enemy was gathering in NJ, swinging around Philadelphia and marching toward Lancaster.
(I need to be careful with this analogy, because some of you already think people from NJ are the enemy! )
By the time we get word, they’re camped at Downingtown.
-Jehoshaphat had very little time to act and he sought the Lord first through calling a fast.
-then he stands up and unleashes an awesome prayer of faith
-Spirit comes on Jahaziel
-Early next day Jehoshaphat. Leads the army out and gives a brief pep talk
-He sends out the praise band
-Just as the praise band started, the Lord set the ambushes
-We don’t know exactly what theses “ambushes” were, we do know the 3 armies turned on one another. Same thing happened to the Midianites during the days of Gideon the judge.
What can we learn from this event in the life of this King of Judah?
-We could mention the significance of praise in this story, about the strategy of sending out the praise band to lead the march to battle. And how this type of focus should characterize our spiritual battles as well.
-Or we could talk about how “The battle belongs to the Lord” and that our battles are not out own, but we have a warrior who fights for us.
-Or we could talk about Jehoshaphat called his people to prayer before determining his battle plan and how we must go to God first in our time of crisis.
-Or we could talk about Jehoshphat’s leadership in times of crisis, and the importance of strong leadership in the church.
But the main thing I want to focus on from this story is found in verse. 12.
“We don’t know what to do, but our eyes are upon you.”
We sometimes face some pretty tough stuff too. Our situations may not be as grave as Jehoshaphat’s, but they can rock our world.
God was concerned about Jehoshaphat’s crisis and He is concerned about our personal impossible, desperate situations.
Life comes at you fast, doesn’t it? Problems can hit like a tsunami. Meteorologists tell us that tsunamis travel as fast as 500 m/hr as fast as 747 over the open sea with relatively small wave heights, then they slow down to around 50 mph and wave heights increase before slamming into the shoreline with enormous forces. We’re cruising along, and all the sudden we get the call or the email or the text or the twitter message. Our peace is suddenly replaced with turmoil. Our smooth way replaced with a major detour.
This economy has created some financial tsunamis for us, hasn’t it? Job cuts, hours cut, investments in the tank. There’s a lot of bad news these days.
In January we all got some bad news. I would imagine it went like this. You got the mail, opened your electric bill, and got sad. You pick up the cell phone, call your spouse. Honey, it’s me. How’s your day going? Great, let me change that for ya. You know that 2010 budget we worked on, it’s in the can.
When bad news hits, what do we do
Fight -Fight off the threat. These people believe that they can beat any circumstance, any problem with the strength of their own will and resources. “Bring it on!”
Psychologists call this our “fight” to threats.
Flight - These people feel afraid, even panicked. We fret, we worry, and it can affect our mental and physical health. This is the fear response.
How does God want us to respond to these “vast armies”?
Jehoshaphat couldn’t fight because he was vastly outnumbered
v.12 “For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us.”
He had time to pack up Jerusalem and flee, he turned to his best option.
What did he do?
Twice in v. 15-17, the prophet told them not to be afraid or discouraged
v. 20:3 turned to God in prayer immediately
v. 20:3 called the people of God to a fast
He turned his eyes upon God. He said, v. 12b “We do not know what to do but our eyes are upon You.”
What was Jehoshaphat focused on? Where were his eyes? Look at V. 6-12
-v. 6
-“LORD” God’s covenant name, Yahweh
-“God of our fathers”
-God was faithful to their fathers - FAITHFULNESS
-“God who is in heaven”
-Transcendent - ALMIGHTY
-“You rule over the kingdoms of the nations” –
-You are sovereign over all kingdoms, even these warring armies that are on our door step. - POWER
-“Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you”- POWER
-“O our God, 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?”
-i.e. God, you made a promise concerning this land, this conspiring army can’t overtake us, because you are faithful to your promise.
-And God, remember your friend, our father Abraham, for his sake hear our prayers.
Summary:
1) Power - God has awesome power and can take care of us. What kind of power can re-order the natural course of an entire army? We don’t need to fear this vast army, even though they greatly outnumber us.
2) Promise – Jehoshaphat reminded God, and also those hearing his prayer, that He had made promise to his covenant people Israel.
You, know we’re taught in many places in the scripture to keep our eyes on the Lord
Think of Ps. 121
I lift up my eyes to the hills—
where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;
4 indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
Another way of saying it is that we keep our hope in God…
Quote: “Our hope must be in God; He is equal to all emergencies” J. Hudson Taylor
Application to our lives:
1) Stand Firm
2) Stand on the firm place of his Power
When the ‘vast army” strikes you, and when are hit with life’s tsunamis, we start to slide. Our faith can start to slip away. We need something firm to stand. v. 17 The prophet told them to “Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you,”
Here’s two places to put your feet. Put one foot on the rock of God’s ability, his power to deliver you. Put the other one on the firm place of his faithfulness, the fact that he is a promise keeper.
-We need to allow Jehoshaphat instruct here, we need to follow his example when we face similar circumstances that are emergencies, in times of desperation. Our prayer needs to be: “Lord, I don’t know what to do, but our eyes are upon you.”
Big question: OK, that was the OT and we now live in light of the NT. Can I expect God to deliver me from my “vast army”? From my desperate situation?
Answer: Jehoshaphat was confident of God’s deliverance
20:9
9 ‘If calamity comes upon us, whether the sword of judgment, or plague or famine, 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.’
This is as much of a declaration as it is a prayer. How could he be so confident? He was simply claiming a promise God had already made.
What about us? We know he is able, but is he willing?
To answer questions like this one, we need to take the whole counsel of God into account. We find saints of the OT and NT crying out to God for deliverance. At times, he delivers. Think of Moses at the Red Sea, Jonah in the belly of the fish, Gideon’s defeat of the Midianites and Daniel delivered from the lions. The Gospels record countless miraculous deliverances by our Lord and his followers. The apostle Paul testified to many divine encounters.
But, it didn’t always turn out this way for Paul. Remember he pleaded with God, three times we are told in 2 Cor.12, for healing from his “thorn in his flesh”. What was God’s answer: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” In effect, God told Paul, I’m enough for you. This situation, this “weakness” you have is not greater than me. You trust in me, and I will sustain you.
There was another one in the NT that called out for deliverance from a desperate situation. Something far greater than you and I will ever face, something even greater than the destruction that Jehoshaphat was concerned about. Here’s how his prayer went:
42 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”
It’s right for us to call our for deliverance, to ask the Almighty God, for relief from the tsunamis, the vast armies that are on the door step. But, we always rest in HIS will.
It may be that the powerful deliverance for you is not today. Maybe today is more like Friday for you. His will is taking you through a time of suffering. But keep your eyes on Sunday, the resurrection power, the ONE who has the power to change horrible and hopeless circumstances, is for you.
We need to remember what Jesus promised in John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
What promise can we claim in desperate times? Matt. 28:20 “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Conclusion:
Segue: The Sparks family experienced a desperate situation here recently and we’ve needed to say to God , “We don’t know what to do, but our eyes are upon you”
Back in September, we discovered that my father has brain cancer. When it was discovered it was stage 3 (4 is the most aggressive). We found out that you don’t recover from brain cancer, but it can be managed through the traditional treatments.
My 39 yr. old sister, who has struggled her entire adult life with drug addiction has not handled this well. In early February, she was arrested for drug possession and DUI. She lost custody of her 2 children who were then living with her. The 13 yr. old went to live with the biological father in Arkansas, but there was no place to her 3 yr. Jackson. He was temporarily staying with a cousin, but if no family member stepped forward to take him, he would be placed in a foster home.
Lori and I were obviously concerned and began praying Jackson. We also started to wonder if Jackson should come and live with us. Now this solution really didn’t make sense, small house, already have 4 boys, even the dog is a boy. Lori, just landed a great new part-time teaching job. How could we say yes? And how could we say no? After some heart struggle, we concluded God was leading us. We quoting our verse again, “Lord we don’t know what to do, but our eyes are upon you.”
. He doesn’t ask for his mother, because he really doesn’t have anyone who functions in that role. He doesn’t ask for his father, because his dad is out of the picture. He doesn’t ask to go home, because he doesn’t have one. That isn’t right. We don’t know quite what to do, we don’t have a plan. We’re staying saying “Lord, we don’t know what to do but our eyes are upon you.”
-He is a real joy to have in our home and we’re so grateful to so many of you who have prayed for us and supplied us with toddler gear Wow, 5 children, we’re now keeping up with the Amish.
Final comments
So, my brother, my sister you should pray, as Jehoshaphat prayed for deliverance being mindful of his power. But also, be patient being mindful of his promise to be with you.
We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you
Repeat it with me: We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you
I’ll make a prediction, sometime this week you’ll need this verse. When you remember the verse, remember Jehoshaphat, remember God’s faithfulness and power and be at peace.
Prayer:
Almighty God, Faithful Promising keeping Father, we often don’t know what to do with our impossible circumstances. We need a fresh understanding of you incredible power and your awesome faithfulness.
2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith,
In his powerful name we pray. Amen.
___
_________________________
Outline:
I 7 min.
1. Hook – Little Billy
2. Bible story
-set the stage
-read key portions
3.1 Read and emphasis the key phrase “…eyes are on you”
3.2 Decide about reading or summarizing the end of the story
II. 13 min.
4. Compare and contrast J’s situation and ours
a. segue…we face pretty tough stuff too
b. Compare
1) 1 Corinthians passage on everything written for our instruction…include?
2) God is concerned about our personal impossible situations
i-life comes at us fast, like a tsunami.
ii.
3) Examples of impossible situations we face
i) severe- death of spouse, divorce, terminal disease, loss of child
ii) common – wayward child, loss of job, corrupt mortgage
5. What we tend to do with impossible situations
a. Fear response – worry, fret, tenseness, can lead to health issues
result – nothing is gained from it
b. Fight response – problem solve, trust in self,
result – by nature, the situation is impossible
c. why both fight and flight is ineffective in some situations
6. Describe how God wants us to respond; i.e. what do we learn from Jeho’s response?
Trust response
a. J is a model; what did he do?
1) turned to God in prayer immediately
-examination of v. 6-12 upshot: power and faithfulness are the key
2) – 4) not in the script yet
2) called the people of God together in a fast
3) called the people together to worship at the temple
-principle: my crisis is not mine alone…weep with those who weep, mourn with those who mourn
4) praised God; e.g. Praise band leading the procession to battle field
b. What do we learn from His prayer? V. 6-12 (Summary)
-i.e. what was J focused on, what were his eyes on?
7. How do Jesus and the gospel factor in?
-Is the new covenant believer better off than J?
-NT faithfulness and power
8. Big question: God delivered J and Judah from all harm. Can I expect God to deliver me as well?
a. We should ask for deliverance: i.e. for our health to return, for our child to turn from drugs, for spouse to turn from their addiction, fertility to start, etc.
b. God has 3 choices
1)Yes
2)No, my grace is sufficient
3)Yes, but wait, my grace is sufficient
Conclusion:
-brief summary of main lesson from J
-repetition of main phrase
-charge to grab a hold of this verse this week
-prayer
Rewrite the conclusion including 1 and 2 below
1- Dad’s story & Jackson story
Unused material / Notes:
New material
Bible Study notes-
Jahaziel – “Jahayzeal”
-does the Hebrew give us any clues as to how “vast” the vast army was?
En Gedi: settlement on western shore of dead sea, about 20 miles from Jerusalem
20:1 Moabites
Ammonites
Meunites – a people from the region of Mt. Seir in Edom (NIV note)
resume study at v. 16 ; get a handle on the geography of the situation if possible
20:16 Pass of Ziz; began 7 miles N. of En Gedi, wound inland , emerging west of Tekoa. Jeruel – s. east of Tekoa (NIV SB note)
-gorge: (Webster’s) a narrow passage through land; especially : a narrow steep-walled canyon or part of a canyon
20:2 “a vast army from Edom”
-based on my Atlas of Bible lands; these 3 armies were from the territory just east of the dead sea
10-11 By referring also to Deuteronomy 2:5, which had recorded how God would not "allow Israel to invade" the lands of Seir, Jehoshaphat was in effect calling on the Lord to honor Israel's obedience in this regard. He spoke also of God's specific bestowal on Israel of the very land that these enemies were in the process of invading (v. 11).
16 From a point seven miles north of En Gedi, "the Pass [maaleh, `ascent'] of Ziz" wound inland, up to the Valley of Beracah (v. 26), west of Tekoa, which was located south of Bethlehem toward Hebron. "Jeruel" lay on this same route, southeast of Tekoa.
Judges 7:22 Gideon and battle with the Midianites (300 years earlier, during time of the Judges)
22 When the three hundred trumpets sounded, the Lord caused the men throughout the camp to turn on each other with their swords.
-“Expect great things from God; attempt great things for God.” William Carey
-ps. 33:16-22; Ps. 46
-J is a living example of living by faith and not by sight
“Lord, I’m into children’s ministry, but not this kind”
-touch on the minor lessons from the text, could use a refrain like “we could look at this interesting aspect but we won’t or we could look at this point, but we won’t”
-sometimes we need a handle to our faith, something to grab onto we things get a little dicey
-illustrations:
-Allstate commercials; look on Youtube
-Application
- Margins, p. 60 medical response to stress
Dad’s story (long version)
I was having desert with friends at Friendly’s 3 weeks ago when a call came in on my cell phone. My dad was taken to the hospital with a loss of strength on his whole left side. I’m thinking stroke. I went home, spoke with my sister who lives with my father and the emergency room docs were still evaluating his situation. With nothing to do and my father 2 hours away I told my sister to call me when she knows something. I attempted to sleep, but was awaken at about 2:30 am with another call. The CT scan revealed a tumor.
--John 12:21 "We would like to see Jesus"
-takes about 5 min. to read 1-30 verses; considering reading until verse 22 or 24.
-considering reading a section of verses then offer some commentary and then
--Illustrate: Thurs. night white out in Feb. 25 – could not see in a crisis
-consider using Bill Hybels rogue wave analogy in place of the tsunami one
Phil. 1:29 For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him
- Phil. 3:10:11
I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.
Do I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection?
--Fundamentals: talk about how this message is one of the basics in the Christian life, having faith, walking by faith and not by sight; it’s one of those areas that we can’t be reminded enough because we are so slow to learn it and we’re constantly challenged to walk by sight. It’s like the fundamentals in any sport. The better you are at the fundamentals, the more you progress.
Application ideas:
-memorize scripture on God’s power
-look up with concordance God’s power
-make a card up (as if it would be in the bulletin) with the key verse from 2 Chron. Placed on it, so that it goes home with everyone
-if they don’t have a concordance, give some online sites with Bible study helps
-Is the application for the crises in my life only? What about the more routine bad news stuff?
- Where are you eyes? What are you focused on?
-We can only focus on one thing at a time, if we’re focused on our problem we can’t be focused on God and his power
Do your circumstances seem too big for God?
The sin in worry is that we are essentially telling God that this situation is too big for even Him! This is an insult.
-What attribute of God should we put our eyes on?
-Illustrate: my son is panicked about something that I can handle as his father; this is a put down for me, an insult to my ability to father my son.
Conclusion ideas:
Who are you focused on? Where are your eyes?
Recommendation: take 10 looks at God, for every 1 look at your crisis, your problem
Practical application:
-memorize one passage on God’s power, ability, mighty deeds
-repentance steps
Illustrations:
Jonathan with severe colic.
When our first son was born it was anything but smooth sailing. Lori attempted to breast feed him but he wanted nothing to do with that. We went to the bottle after the 3rd day but this little guy was a very unhappy camper. I knew babies got fussy sometimes, but we (especially me) were not prepared for this daily assault on our eardrums. He had nightly screaming sessions lasting several hours where nothing would comfort him. Our pediatrician examined him and concluded that nothing was wrong, except for a bad case colic – a mysterious digestive disorder common in infants. The doctor told us it was the worst case she had ever seen and she wasn’t fresh out of Med school. About the only thing that calmed this child was the sound of the Black & Decker Dirt Devil vacuum cleaner. It was so bad that instead of running the Dirt Devil, I made a cassette recording of this machine and played it to calm him down. Fortunately, the doctor was right and he did grow out of it after a few months.
God heard our prayers and rescued us and rescued us from an impossible situation.
Sometimes we face situations that are perplexing; quote from Churchill on Russia:
“It’s a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma”
Supporting Scripture:
-Peter was in trouble when he moved his eyes off of Christ
-John 14 “trust in God, trust also in me”
-Psalm “Be still and know that I am god”
-Zeph. 3:17
-Psalm “like a weaned child” connect back to little Billy
-Daniel and his 3 friends help here in the fiery furnace
17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”
Bible study notes:
Read about J in 1 Kings 2 Kings 22
-Observations from context
17:3 The Lord was with Jehoshaphat because in his early years he walked in the ways his father David had followed
17:6-people loved him they brought gifts, he enjoyed great wealth and honor; he was devoted to the ways of the Lord.
18:1 Allied himself with King Ahab by marriage
What’s up with this apparent contradiction?
2 Chronicles 17:6
-J removed the high places and Asherah poles
2 Chron. 20:33
-high places were not removed
Yet Jehoshaphat had allowed the high places to remain and had not brought his people to a steadfast commitment to the Lord. Earlier he had removed the practice of pagan worship at the high places (17:6), but apparently some people had restored them and the king did nothing about it. Bible Knowledge Commentary
Theme verse:
v. 12 O our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you.
-Was J stationed in Jerusalem? Yes, see verse 5.
- v.9 “cry out in distress” cite recent verse discovered in Is. 63:9 9 In all their distress he too was distressed,
-J felt the need for power, God’s power; this is one of the keys to this passage
-v. 10 God did not allow the Israelites to invade these 3 territories during the Conquest
v. 15 For the battle is not yours, but God’s
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