2nd.Chronicles 20:5-13 "And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the LORD, before the new court, and said, O LORD GOD of our fathers, art not THOU GOD in Heaven ? and rulest not THOU over all the kingdoms of the heathen ? and in THINE hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand THEE ? Art not THOU our GOD, WHO didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before THY people Israel, and gavest it to the seed of Abraham THY friend for ever ? And they dwelt therein, and have built THEE a sanctuary therein for THY name, saying, If, when evil cometh upon us, as the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we stand before this house, and in THY presence, (for THY name is in this house,) and cry unto THEE in our affliction, then THOU wilt hear and help.
And now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir, whom THOU wouldest not let Israel invade, when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them, and destroyed them not; behold, I say, how they reward us, to come to cast us out of THY possession, which THOU hast given us to inherit. O, our GOD, wilt THOU not judge them ? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon THEE. And all Judah stood before the LORD, with their little ones, their wives and their children."
Where are your eyes focused in the time of trouble ? As much as we would like to think otherwise, GOD's children do not always have the proper focal point. It is easy to allow the problems, struggles, and perplexities of life to so fill our vision that we cannot see the working of GOD in the midst of it all. We are like the little boy who holds his thumb right in front of his eyes in order to blot out the image of his father and mother as they scold him. If I cannot see them, they are not there. How often do we do that to our heavenly FATHER ? We do not see HIM at work because the trial we are enduring has become the whole focus of our being. David encountered this problem, and three times in Psalms 42 and 43 he asked the question of himself: "Why art thou cast down, O my soul ?" Three times his answer was: "Hope thou in GOD." We must get our focus back on GOD and not our difficulties.
King Jehoshaphat, when faced by the impossible odds of an invading army, turned to GOD, admitting that he and his nation had, "no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon THEE" (v.12 pictured at top of post). Our loving GOD says: "Look unto ME, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I AM GOD, and there is none else" (Isaiah 45:22 pictured above). The prophet Micah sets the example: "I will look unto the LORD; I will wait for the GOD of my salvation: my GOD will hear me" (Micah 7:7). Focus on the LORD in your time of trouble. If your soul is weary and troubled, and no light in the darkness you see, focus your gaze upon JESUS. HIS WORD will not fail you. As the songwriter penned, "Believe HIM, and all will be well." JED
Your servant in CHRIST,
Julie
Copyright, FEATURE: A Daily Bible Study Guide.
Used with permission. www.featoday.org
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