A
few weeks ago, on Sunday morning, our pastor read II Chronicles 20. God bless that man! I hadn’t read Chronicles in quite some time, but as we read through the chapter the words of Jehoshaphat’s prayer in a time of unexpected
trouble leapt off the page and indelibly inscribed themselves in the depths of
my soul. I know them. I identify with them. I could have penned them myself. I pray them nearly every day. He cried, “…neither know we what to do: but
our eyes are upon thee.” (v. 12 KJV)
I
am often clueless. My children come to
me with questions I can’t answer, problems I can’t immediately fix, fears I
can’t easily assuage. My mailbox spits
out unexpected bills, my taxes come out five percent higher than I figured, and
my doctor decides to run extra tests. My
friends and family need support that I may or may not be in a position to give.
I am surrounded by things I can’t fix, change, or regulate. My heart breaks. My worry queue grows. I feel like I am losing the battle AND the
war.
And
then I remember II Chronicles 20:12. It
is quickly becoming my lifeline. I pray
these words and the voices around me fade.
I find peace. I trust God to take
care of all these things. I have proof
that he will…ask Jehoshaphat and the Israelites. They weren’t facing a
skirmish. They were facing a war. Not just one army steadily marched toward
them, but several (v.1-2). They felt inadequate, ill-prepared. They were clueless. So they turned their eyes on God and
discovered that the battle they were expecting wasn’t theirs to win or lose,
but God’s (v.15). All they had to do was
keep their eyes on Him... And trust...And rest. They didn’t even have to fight.
God had it all under control.
Chances
are you identify with what’s written here.
Your soul is battered, your heart is scarred, your body exhausted with
the constant barrage of things demanding your attention, your money, your time,
your soul. The truth is, you can’t fix
everything. You can’t help
everyone. You can’t make everything
better. You’ll lose yourself and your
faith if you try. I encourage you to turn
to Jesus, let the voices around you fade, fasten your spiritual gaze unwaveringly
on him, and genuinely pray, “I’m clueless on this, but my eyes are on you.” It
doesn’t guarantee you’ll get your way.
It doesn’t assure you an instant miracle. It doesn’t promise that you’ll understand the
outcome. But it does mean you aren’t alone. It
means the resources aren’t tapped. It
means you can know peace-- peace springing from the knowledge that your faith
resides with the God who refuses to let his people down.
I
find courage in the fact that I am not the only one who is clueless. I take refuge in the fact that turning my
eyes on Jesus snaps my world into focus.
I find peace in the knowledge that I don’t have to know all the answers
or outcomes because when I am clueless, confused, concerned, or cornered—God’s
got this! So, may we, like those who
have gone before us, continually look “…unto Jesus the author and finisher of
our faith;” (Hebrews 12:2 KJV) May we remember that our faith is not
misplaced. Our peace is not ill-gotten. Our
circumstances are not a surprise to God and he already has the answer. May we learn to stand still, eyes trained on
Jesus, allow him to fight our battles, and triumphantly embrace the fact-- God’s
got this!
