2 Chronicles 20.16 He
said: “Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This
is what the Lord says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this
vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.’ – Jahaziel the prophet
Last night, my older son and I were watching a sitcom and
laughing at the impossibility of the situations the characters were in. I said,
Do you know what makes a good sitcom?
He shook his head. I said, impossible
situations that are easily solved. From the days of Lucy, that has been the
mainstay of sitcoms. Situation: impossible; comedy: solutions.
When I read through the Old Testament history of the
Kings, it’s often like reading the script for a sitcom except every situation
is solved with, and by God. The problem wasn’t God: it was belief. Or, in
reality, unbelief. The people of Israel had gotten into the habit of not
believing in God. That’s a bad place to be.
Time after time God’s people are faced with frighteningly
impossible situations and God faithfully, comes to their rescue. It’d be almost
laughable if it wasn’t so tragic. But God comes through for them because He
loves them.
It seems I live in a sitcom these days – laughably faced with
impossible circumstances. Except I don’t think it’s all that funny. The people
in the Old Testament didn’t think it so funny either; they were desperate. That’s
what I think it takes: desperation. Maybe some perspiration. And a whole lot of
prayer, but not the Genie-in-a-bottle prayer. It takes praising and thanking
God for what He is doing and what He has done. That seemed to bail them out
every time – how about us?
Jehoshaphat had to be reminded about his attitude: Don’t be afraid or discouraged. Fear and
discouragement kill faith. For the battle
is the Lord’s. God is the solution to impossible situations. Any other
attempt is futile. ‘Do not be afraid or
discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.’
Why impossible situations? Possibly, they are to show us
just how weak we are, and how great He is. Maybe it’s that and nothing more.
Maybe the impossible is only to show us : “I’m Possible” with God and
impossible without Him. Everyone faces adversity and impossibility – God comes
to the salvation of those who trust and believe in Him.
Impossible situations ought to awaken within us these
thoughts: there is always a solution,
there is always a way out – because there is always a God who loves and cares for me. I think the reality of the
lessons we learn in impossible situations are invaluable in building our faith and
trust in God who would be further away and less real in our minds if there were
never any ripples on the pond of life.
Father, like King
Jehoshaphat of old, in facing my situation today, I don’t know what to do, but
my eyes are on You! Amen.
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