Sunday 29 Jul 2012

Sunday Reading: 2 Chronicles 20:1-13

Key Verse: 2 Chronicles 20:4
4  And Judah gathered themselves together, to ask help of the LORD: even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the LORD.

Devotion:
What is it going to take for you to seek help from God? Will it be the loss of a loved one, the threat of war, a bad accident or some life threatening illness? Why should it have to take such a drastic turn of events to get you to listen to advice and to seek out God? It should be our first order of business to always seek out God first and not to have to wait until everything is collapsing around us instead. But, sadly, that is far to often the case – we wait for everything to collapse around our ears before we step forward and ask Him for help!

Jehoshaphat acknowledged God as creator, protector, sovereign and Lord of all. He knew just how awesome God was and He went straight to God when it looked like there was going to be trouble. He knew from what had happened in history that God was the one who had to power to overcome any enemy and that He alone had the power to do it when nobody else could. God has continued to make sure that we know just how powerful He is but also just how loving He can be as well. Every believer should instinctively know that God is our protector and that He will make things right.

Jehoshaphat also made sure that he did not do this alone – not just because he was asking God but because he knew that we need to help each other. He gathered together the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem and stood with them, glorifying God and pleading for God to step in and judge their enemies. This was not a plea to make them strong enough to withstand their enemies but rather to stand up to their enemies directly. Why should we limit God’s power by asking Him to act through us when He could do so much more directly?

But one of the things I would like to focus on is the fact that even though he was in charge, Jehoshaphat stood up with all Judah. He stood up and declared that they were one and that they had to go to God as one people. God does not want us to stand alone but to work together, loving each other, supporting one another and most importantly depending on Him as part of our lives. God wants us to be able to call on Him at every opportunity and not just when things get pear shaped!

Points to Ponder:
What does it take for you to ask for help?

Do you know God wants to help you?