Jehoshaphat was afraid, and he resolved to seek the LORD. Then he proclaimed a fast for all of Judah who gathered to seek the LORD. They even came from all the cities of Judah to seek Him.  2 Chronicles 20:3-4 HCSB

Most of us don’t ever like to admit being fearful or anxious, but the drug companies make billions on anxiety medication each year. We can be afraid of something that causes physical harm, emotional distress, financial ruin, or something that may harm someone that we love. As human beings we all go through times where we experience fear or anxiety.

Now we know from 2 Chronicles chapter 18 that Jehoshaphat is not a coward. He went into war with his so-called friend, King Ahab. Ahab, knowing that the commander of the opposing army had instructed them to kill the king, disguised himself as a soldier but convinced Jehoshaphat to wear his royal attire. We can’t disguise ourselves and prevent God’s will. Ahab had sinned against God and even though God was not pleased with Jehoshaphat for aligning himself with a sinner, He spared Jehoshaphat and Ahab was killed. But, that’s a whole other blog for another day.

When Jehoshaphat returned, he was scolded and repented and cleaned up his act. But as he was doing all this good throughout the land, these two vast armies came against him. Now, this could be the point where some of us wonder what’s going on, right? Sure, we messed up, we are human after all. But, we were striving to do better. Now why would God allow this to happen? This is where we could start whining and grumbling and complaining. This is where we could start shaking in our boots. But, what did Jehoshaphat do? Well, we see from our scripture passage that he was afraid, so he resolved to seek the LORD. In call caps the name LORD refers to God’s omnipotence or His all consuming power.

Jehoshaphat might have been foolish in his alignment with Ahab, but he was smart enough to know that nothing was impossible with God. He knew that God could handle what was coming his way. He fasted, meaning that he removed the things from his life that could distract him. He gave more time to God and put all his focus on God. He resolved to seek the LORD. He was bound and determined to talk to God about this. He was determined to bring his people together and get them to do the same. He knew that prayer could change things. In chapter 20 verse 6, Jehoshaphat acknowledged that power and might are in God’s hands and that no one could stand against Him.  He knew who could protect his country from these enemies. He praised God in the midst of this trouble.

Do you know who can protect you? Do you know where your help comes from? Do you trust God enough to know that He can handle whatever comes your way? My friend if God is for you then no one can stand against you (Romans 8:31).

We will all experience fear or anxiety from time to time. When we are afraid, we should remove distractions. Fasting doesn’t just mean giving up food, it can mean giving up television or social media. It means giving up anything that takes up time that we should be devoting to God. We should resolve to seek the LORD. Turn to the almighty, all powerful God.

Maybe, just maybe this is a test. Maybe God wants to see what you will do when you are afraid. Will you whine and complain and grumble because God is allowing this to happen? Or, will you pray, resolve to seek Him and trust in Him?

My prayer for us today is that we live our lives in a way that prayer and seeking the LORD is something that we do continually and becomes a natural reaction to any problems we may face.

Whatever you are going through, remember God’s got this. Feel free to have a great day!