“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
A great army of Ammonites, Moabites and others had poised themselves against Judah and were ready to strike. In his fear Jehoshaphat set himself to seek the Lord, as did the people, and the they fasted together to ask help from the Lord. What’s more, they declared to the Lord that their eyes were fixed upon Him — they positioned themselves to be utterly dependent upon God. As they did so, the word of the Lord came through one of the Levites and they were given God’s instructions for their situation.
There are times in every leader’s life and ministry when he feels overwhelmed and does not know what to do. One’s enemies, whether natural or spiritual, come full force intending to destroy us and we are fearful and clueless as to what to do. One of Satan’s weapons used against leaders is fear. Fear will do one of two things. It will either cause us to run away from the situation, or cause us to make a quick decision without seeking the Lord. When those times come, and be sure they will come, we must be determined not to react quickly but to seek the Lord. We must get our eyes off the problem and onto the Problem Solver. Focusing on the problem may only bring more fear and confusion.
Only when we learn to fix our eyes fully on Jesus, and wait upon Him, we will we be able to receive His answer. Do not depend upon your own strength, or wit, or what has worked for you before. Get the ‘now’ word of the Lord. Listen only to what He is saying about your current situation, then trust and obey. Be patient for God’s solution will surely come if you wait. Don’t rush God to give you what you need because you are in a hurry. In doing so, you set yourself up for failure. If you have set yourself to seek Him, you will find Him.
How can you practically get your eyes off the problem and onto God? Why is it important to hear God’s wisdom for each problem we face rather than depend upon what worked in the past?
