Happy 4th of July Week!

In preparation for one of America's favorite holidays:

God is God and I am Not

Maybe you already know that.  Hopefully you know that.  I know that.  Do I believe it?  Sadly, if you look at my life, you would probably say that I don’t believe that. 

Why?

Because I worry.  I worry about the future – about things that will happen; about things I will do; about the way I will respond to circumstances.  I worry about decisions I have already made.  I worry for days, weeks, even months and years…about things that are over and done; things that cannot be changed.  

I cannot change the past.  I cannot control the future.  Yesterday is done and I have zero ability to affect tomorrow today.  And yet I worry.

Lately, I have been consumed with worry about starting my new job.  Consumed may seem like a strong word, but in this situation, it may not be strong enough.  Just ask my roommate. 

I have spent hours studying and reviewing material, trying to prepare myself for anything that might happen.  I study numbers, procedures, injuries, indications, contraindications, past results, etc.  I constantly have information and scenarios running though my head.  Right now, in fact, I have several different things regarding my job running through my head.

I have neglected Bible study and prayer to study.  I hate to even type that, but it’s true.  That used to be a habit of mine in college, but, thankfully, I haven’t done that in several years…until now.

I am anxious all the time, especially at work (which, by the way, has been nothing but orientation up to this point).  I worry about making a mistake.  I worry about screwing up.  I worry about what other people think of me.  I worry about doing harm not good.  I worry that I’m going to fail.

Now, I do believe that an arrogant confidence is harmful.  In dealing with injuries and potential emergency situations, it is good to be aware of the gravity of the situation and prepare for the worst.  Agonizing and worrying constantly, however, is not preparation.  In fact, it may even have a negative impact on preparation.

And, yet, I worry.

So this morning, God graciously gave me yet another reminder of how proud and untrusting my behavior is.  He allowed me to listen to a podcast about control.  Here were the main points:

-       God’s hands are not tied.  They never have been.  They never will be.

-       It is not up to me to control outcomes, but to be a good steward of what God has given me.

-       God is in control and I am not.

So, does this mean I quit studying and preparing altogether?  No.  Does this mean that I have no responsibility in any of this?  No.  It means that God gave me certain abilities and expects me to be a good steward with them.  Being a good steward means doing everything I do as unto the Lord – preparation and execution.

I still must prepare.  I still must equip myself as best I can.  I still must cultivate my abilities.  However, this constant anxiety has to stop.  God deserves more respect than that.

God is God and I am not.

‘We’re Looking to You’

“We’re helpless…We don’t know what to do; we’re looking to you.” 2 Chronicles 20.12 (The Message)

I’ve written about this verse before (I think on my last blog), but I decided I wanted to write on it again.  It’s just such a cool story of humility, reliance on God, and victory in God. 

Here is (without going into major Israelite history about which I’m not well educated) the context: 

Jehoshaphat was king of Judah.  Some people (Moabites, Ammonites, and Meunites) were about to attack Judah.  Jehoshaphat, for good reason, was worried.  He ordered a nationwide fast throughout Judah, seeking God’s help.  Then he prayed to God in front of all the people.  He recognized God for who He is, His power, and His love.  He presented the situation to God.  Then He prayed this:

‘We’re helpless before this vandal horde ready to attack us.  We don’t know what to do; we’re looking to you.’ (v.12)

He humbled himself in front of God and all of the people under his leadership.  He admitted he didn’t know what to do, and looked to God for the answer.  (A person in authority admitting they don’t have the answer right now and turning to God for it – that’s a blog all in itself; maybe another day.) 

What did the people do?

‘Everyone in Judah was there – little children, wives, sons – all present and attentive to God.’ (v.13)

They followed their leader…to the feet of their Lord.

And then it says a man named Jahaziel was ‘moved by the Spirit of God.’ (v.14)  God gave him the answer to their prayers.  He said to them:

‘God’s word:  Don’t be afraid; don’t pay any mind to this vandal horde.  This is God’s war, not yours.  Tomorrow you’ll go after them; see, they’re already on their way up the slopes of Ziz; you’ll meet them at the end of the ravine near the wilderness of Jeruel.  You won’t have to lift a hand in this battle; just stand firm, Judah and Jerusalem, and watch God’s saving work for you take shape.  Don’t be afraid, don’t wavier.  March out boldly tomorrow – God is with you.’ (v. 15-17)

And then Jehoshaphat and all the people laughed at Jahaziel, told him he was crazy, and began making preparations for war, while still freaking out, right?  Nope.

‘Then Jehoshaphat knelt down, bowing with his face to the ground.  All Judah and Jerusalem did the same, worshiping God.  The Levites…stood to their feet to praise God, the God of Israel; they praised at the top of their lungs!’  (v. 18-19)

So early the next morning they left for battle.  Here is part of the charge Jehoshaphat gave them:

‘Believe firmly in God, your God, and you lives will be firm!’ (v. 20)

The Jehoshaphat got a choir (you know, just your everyday wartime choir).  He put them in robes and made them march AHEAD of the troops singing.  What???  Are you serious?  Here’s what they were singing:

‘Give thanks to God, His love never quits.’ (v. 21)

Ok, stop.  Rewind.  So Judah is about to be attacked by several enemy armies.  Their kings says, “Wow, this isn’t good.  I have no idea what to do.”  They fast and pray.  One crazy guy says, “Oh yeah, God told me to tell you not to worry, He’s gonna take care of it.  No worries.”  The king is like, “Sweet, lets have a concert, as we go to battle.” 

Is this for real?  Yup.  Know why?  Because that’s how awesome God is.  That’s the kind of assurance, peace, and confidence in Him we get when we trust and follow Him.  Because He is Almighty and All-powerful.  Because when He says He’s got it under control, He’s got it under control.

Notice something else about the story so far?  There has been no other indication, besides the promise of God, that Judah would even be survive, let alone be victorious…And they are praising and singing to God about His awesome love.  All they have as they march into battle is the promise God spoke through one man.  That’s it.  They didn’t all grow into giants.  God didn’t help them develop some super secret strategy or some super awesome weapon.  He just gave them a promise.  And they believed Him.

Well, in case you are still wondering what happened…When the people of Judah started singing, God sent ambushes against the enemy armies, and they basically destroyed each other.  Judah arrived to see ‘a killing field of dead bodies.’  So Judah didn’t have to lift a hand.  They won because they trusted God and He fought their battle.

This story came to mind today as I was thinking about my family, the economy, my job, and other things that I like to worry about on a daily basis.  God just kept bringing to mind that verse, ‘We don’t know what to do, but our eyes are on You.’ 

Things are really hard for most people right now.  It seems like the economy is at the forefront of most people’s thoughts, but there are other problems, too.  I know I can’t understand anyone else’s problems, so it seems like it would be naïve of me to offer a solution.  That would be true if the solution was a solution I came up with.  Fortunately, it’s not.  It’s God’s solution.

Trust God. 

God gave Judah a promise through one man.  They believed Him.  They believed Him for no other reason, except that He is God.  And they won.

God gave us a Promise, too.  And that Promise humbled himself, came to earth, and died so that we could have the ultimate victory.  He didn’t die just so we could live forever in Heaven.  He died so we could have eternal life.  That life starts now.  That life in Christ starts as soon as we put our faith in Him.  As soon as we accept that He won the war against the enemy and death, we begin to live a victorious life.

‘For, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” ‘ (Romans 10.13, NIV)

This doesn’t mean we don’t need to do anything or work hard or have a job.  It just means we don’t need to worry.  We don’t need to fear.  God has said He is on our side.  We just have to trust Him.  Even when we can’t see what’s ahead or all we can see is a huge storm cloud and a cliff, trust Him.  When you don’t know what to do, turn your eyes to Him.

‘God has assured us, “I’ll never let you down, never walk off and leave you.” ‘ (Hebrews 13.5, Msg)

 

Main passage:  2 Chronicles 20