When Is the Correct Time to Seek the LORD?
“Jehoshaphat was afraid and turned his attention to seek the LORD; and he proclaimed a period of fasting throughout Judah.
(2 Chronicles 20: 3-6 NASB)
So Judah gathered together to seek help from the LORD; they even came from all the cities of Judah to seek the LORD.
Then Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the LORD in front of the new courtyard;
and he said,
“LORD, God of our fathers, are You not God in the heavens?
And are You not ruler over all the kingdoms of the nations?
Power and might are in Your hand so that no one can stand against You.”
Did we notice the king of Judah?
Did we notice the people of Judah?
Did we see the people of Jerusalem?
Do we seek the LORD when we are vulnerable?
Do we seek the LORD when we are hurting?
Do we seek the LORD when we are terrified?
Do we seek the LORD?
In the Bible, we often see how the LORD provides strength to armies, endurance to warriors, and courage when warring armies are invading. In this passage found in the Chronicles of the Kings, we are rewarded with the same type of writing, except in this account, we do not find the warriors taking up weapons, nor do we see the warriors battling throughout the long days and nights, but we do see the courage of the people, and we see the fasting and faith of the believers, and we see the LORD’S might!
Our battles might look different today within our modern world. King Jehoshaphat saw the sons of Moab and the sons of Ammon with some of the Meunites approaching the people. We read with crystal clarity—“Jehoshaphat was afraid”
We read with wide-eyed awe—“Jehoshaphat turned his attention to seek the LORD;”
We read with humility—“Jehoshaphat proclaimed a period of fasting throughout Judah.”
We read how the people gathered out of respect for this godly leader—“So Judah gathered together to seek help from the LORD; they even came from all the cities of Judah to seek the LORD.
Then Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the LORD in front of the new courtyard;” (2 Chronicles 20: 3-5 NASB)
In reading the local news earlier this morning, I saw that our nation endured senseless crimes during the last few days: a shooter in a park & a shooter at a 16-year-old birthday party. In both instances, people came together to pray for healing, for relief, and for God to change hearts. One particular comment jumped from the article: “The first thing we’ve got to do is we’ve got to PRAY our way out of this.” (Assistant Coach Taylor)
Prayer!
Does it really change—anything?
Can it set things right—really?
Is it not just words lifted to the wind?
Who is this God so many lift up their prayers to with confidence?
These are the words of Satan.
These are the words he likes to whisper in our ears, even today.
In the Word of God, there is a small book, one tucked close to the end, one that comes on the heels of the hall of faith (the book of Hebrews) and right before the two letters of the apostle Peter who writes to encourage us how to live with a sure & living hope within the salvation of God. The small book of the Bible that I refer to is the book of James, and within this book, there is a chapter aptly titled: “THINGS TO AVOID.”
The list includes these very modern-day things:
- Quarrels (i.e. the words that slip out our mouths & the words we post).
- Conflicts (i.e. the daily, familiar battles we continually fight).
- Pleasures that wage war in your body (i.e. personal addictions).
- Lust (i.e. even the lust we see in our brains).
- Murder (i.e. even the murderous thoughts within our minds).
- Desires of Envy (i.e. when we want what we think we should have—our wants).
- Fights (i.e. with fists, with weapons, in our social media, & in our hearts).
This modern-day list could go on and on and on, but then we come to James 4.
“You ask and do not receive, because you ask with the wrong motives, so that you may spend what you request on your pleasures.
(James 4: 3-8 NASB)
You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God?
Therefore whoever wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
Or do you think that the Scripture says to no purpose,
“He jealously desires the Spirit whom He has made to dwell in us”?
[At the moment of God’s gift of salvation, believers in Jesus receive God’s Holy Spirit, God’s seal on our lives, God’s down-payment on our eternal hope.
Why would we ever turn away from that, from God?!!!]
“But He gives a greater grace.”
[Thank You, God, for Your Mercy & Grace.]
“Therefore it says,
“GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.”
Submit therefore to God.
But resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Come close to God and He will come close to you.
Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”
We must choose our side.
- We must resist the devil today!
- We must resist the devil tomorrow!
- We must resist the devil day-after-day-after-day!
- Daily, we must choose our side!
- We must not choose Jesus today and then go out and live for the world.
- We must check our heart—every day.
- We face a daily battle: Following Jesus or turning toward the devil.
- God’s grace never changes!
- We should not look toward ourselves nor toward others, BUT TO THE CREATOR!
- What this really means is that EVERY DAY, WE MUST DECIDE “TO WHOM” WE WILL SUBMIT!
King Jehoshaphat was facing warring nations coming straight toward the nation. He took THE ONLY ACTION THAT EVER MAKES ANY SENSE—HE CALLED THE PEOPLE TO FAST & GATHER TOGETHER & PRAY!
Let us see a portion of this king’s prayer to the LORD.
“Then Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the LORD in front of the new courtyard;
(2 Chronicles 20: 5-8 NASB)
and he said,
“LORD, God of our fathers, are You not God in the heavens?
And are You not ruler over all the kingdoms of the nations?
Power and might are in Your hand so that no one can stand against You.
Did You not, our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land from Your people Israel, and give it to the descendants of Your friend Abraham forever?
They have lived in it, and built You a sanctuary in it for Your name, . . .”
Then the king of Judah begins a list—of all the mighty works of THE LORD GOD ALMIGHTY HAD PERFORMED SINCE THE DAY HE TOOK THEM INTO THE PROMISED LAND!
At the end of the king’s prayer,
(2 Chronicles 20: 13-15 NASB)
“All Judah was standing before the LORD, with their infants, their wives, and their children.
Then in the midst of the assembly the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, the Levite of the sons of Asaph;”
[Clearly a heritage of faith within a family does matter to God!]
“and he said, “Listen, all you of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and King Jehoshaphat: This is what the LORD says to you: “Do not fear or be dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours but God’s.”
PRAYER—Does it really change—anything?
PRAYER—Can it set things right—really?
Is PRAYER not just words lifted to the wind?
Who is this God so many lift up their PRAYERS with confidence?
OVER & OVER: These are the words of Satan that he likes to whisper in our ears every day we arise from our beds.
I listened to the melody “Same God” by Elevation Worship, and within the lyrics, the Holy Spirit reminded me: This Same God of king Jehoshaphat is the Same God of you & me!
What are we praying for today?
Jehoshaphat was praying for relief from the armies of warriors coming straight toward his kingdom.
- We might be praying for relief from the addiction that is plaguing our family.
- We might be praying for relief from the sin that causes us to stumble in our faith-walk.
- We might be praying for relief from on-going health issues.
- We might be praying for God to move in someone’s heart that has remained steeped in decades of unbelief.
WHATEVER WE ARE PRAYING FOR TODAY—GOD IS SAYING, “HE CAN DO IT—IN HIS STRENGTH!”
In Jesus Christ, we who are Christians belong (REALLY BELONG) to the family of God!
This is the best place to be—IN COMPLETE DEPENDANCE ON GOD!
God says to our heart:
“Do not fear or be dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours but God’s.”
(2 Chronicles 20: 15b NASB)
We can navigate hard situations with courage!
We can navigate fearful days with courage.
We never need to dismay or be afraid!
God’s Got Whatever Battle We Face!
How do we know?
We belong to God’s family, SO—“the battle is not yours but God’s.”
In reality, this writing is way-too long, but I cannot end without composing just what God did for the king of Judah. Better yet, stop reading right here, and go read in totality 2 Chronicles 20 & see with your eyes how—The Correct Time to PRAY & SEEK the LORD Is NOW!
“Every man of Judah and Jerusalem returned, with Jehoshaphat at their head, returning to Jerusalem with joy, for the LORD had helped them to rejoice over their enemies.
(2 Chronicles 20: 27-28 NASB)
They came to Jerusalem with harps, lyres, and trumpets, to the house of the LORD.”