Clarity for All, Part I

5:45 p.m. Today's project was to reorganize some finances, change automatic life insurance premium withdrawals, and inquire from Mercury homeowner's insurance about insuring Heidi's wedding as a one-time event. I needed to find out how our childcare mom is coming along with Bible materials for the preschoolers she'll be watching for our Bible study starting next Thursday. Steve and I also needed to make a plan to defeat the undergound thieves in our garden, which I am beginning to refer to as "Gopher Gulch!"

All this before leaving the house for an appointment with a customer.

At my appointment with a friend and her mom, we enjoyed talking about the products and then began sharing on more personal matters of physical illness. The issues were so complex and fraught with conflicting opinions that I asked if I could pray for them, so we held hands and I let the Holy Spirit lead as I asked for clarity and guidance for each of them.

"Only You, Lord, can bring clarity and order to their decisions, and only You can heal!" I prayed. Seeing friends hurting and frightened makes me think of II Chronicles 20, where King Jehoshaphat found Judah surrounded by the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mt. Seir, completely overwhelmed by the numbers. He proclaimed a fast in Judah and Jerusalem (v.3) and assembled the people to seek the LORD.

In verse12, he prayed,

O our God...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.

Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon a Levite, Jahaziel, and he spoke the word of the LORD to the people:

Do not be afraid or dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours but God's.

I have been strengthened by this verse so many times in my 31 years as a Christian, but I focused on something that never caught my attention before. God does not minimize the enormity of the threat against Judah, nor make light of Jehoshaphat's fears, despite the fact that those armies are like ants to Him! Additionally, God already had a plan to dispatch those nations handily.

The Lord Jesus does not downplay or minimize the threats that come against us, His children, today, either, no matter what we face. He doesn't mock our fears, but He sends His Holy Spirit to guide, lead and reassure us. Sometimes He tells us, like He told defeated leader Joshua in Chapter 7, verse 10 of the book of the same name, "Get up!Why are you lying on your face like that?" because He wants to show us the right action to correct our issue. But whatever approach He takes with each of us, it is always in perfect love, wisdom and justice. Our part is to trust Him and obey Him!

In II Chronicles 20:17, God then gives King Jehoshaphat the battle plan:

You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the LORD, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem! Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the LORD is with you.

More fresh applications are coming to me here. The importance of positioning ourselves IN CHRIST as born again believers is crucial! STANDING STILL and watching the Lord unravel the most complex issues and damaged relationships, waiting for Him to move, not rushing into the fray in a battle that is not even ours, despite the surface appearance and our emotional state. That is when miracles and answers come--when we wait upon our God!

The army of God's people went out singing praises to the Lord, the Lord set ambushes against their enemies, and then the attacking armies fought against each other until as verse 24 says, No one had escaped.

In thirty-one years of trials, I have either been delivered, am being deilvered, or will be delivered! I can attest to the faithfulness of my God!

Tomorrow: the praise reports! "Clarity for All, Part II"