"But thanks be
to God, who gives us the victory
through our Lord Jesus Christ."—1 Corinthians 15:57
In Scripture we can see what King Jehoshaphat did in a seemingly
hopeless situation. I want to extract another principle from that same
scripture to learn how to handle helplessness.
“Then
Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, before the new court, and said: “O Lord God of our fathers, are
You not God in heaven, and do You not
rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in Your hand is there not power and might, so that
no one is able to withstand You? Are You not our God, who drove out the inhabitants of this land before Your people
Israel, and gave it to the descendants of Abraham Your friend forever? And they dwell in it,
and have built You a sanctuary in it for Your name, saying, ‘If disaster comes upon
us—sword, judgment, pestilence, or famine—we will stand before this temple and
in Your presence (for Your name is
in this temple), and cry out to You in our affliction, and You will hear and
save.’ And
now, here are the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir—whom You would not let
Israel invade when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from
them and did not destroy them— here they are, rewarding us by coming to throw
us out of Your possession which You have given us to inherit. 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 20:5-12).
In verses 5-12, Jehoshaphat is still focused on the Lord, which should also be our first response to
fear. Yet notice what he does in this
prayer. He is not looking forward,
stating his fears of what might happen. Instead,
he is remembering the past, recounting their success by looking at the
times in Israel’s history when God brought them through similar “helpless” situations.
How often has the Lord done a mighty work on your behalf when all seemed lost? He is actively involved in our lives today. Sadly, we frequently thank Him in the moment but then forget what He has done for us. Later, when we are fearful again, it’s hard to remember how He has already proven Himself in our lives. This is why every believer should keep a journal, a written record of the Lord’s faithfulness. During times of helplessness, we want encouragement not just about how God has worked in history or in the world, but about how He’s worked in our own lives.
It may take some time to establish the discipline of journaling, but the rewards are tremendous. You may say, “Well, I don’t have time for that.” Friend, you need to make the time. When you record blessings, you begin to view God’s work from a new perspective. You will start to see how He is weaving the individual “threads” of your life to create a beautiful tapestry for His glory.
Prayer—Father I thank
You for helping me recount the times that You have given me the victory, and
when I remember them it encourages me to see You at work in my life, in Jesus
Name. Amen.
