Monday, September 3, 2012

2 Chronicles 20

Yesterday was a tough day for me. When I'm having a hard time I sometimes usually tend to shut down. I withdraw from GOD and friends when really I should be doing just the opposite.  Yesterday I decided that I'm going to do my best to not do that. Pulling closer in those times will be my goal.

The LORD showed me some really good scriptures yesterday. When I went to bed I left my Bible opened up to the last place I had been reading. I want to share that with all of you along with the rest of the story from today.

2 Chronicles 20 has some great stuff in it. I'm just going to post some of the verses. Read the whole chapter for yourself and you will be blessed! These are from the NLT Bible.

Vs 9: Part of Jehoshaphats' prayer before they went to battle against the armies of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir. He was reminding God of when He gave the land to Abraham and what they had said. Last night God was reminding me that when things are going bad, I'm in a battle, I just need to go to Him . . . cry out to Him and He will hear me. God will come to my rescue as He will to yours. We just need to go to Him!

They said, ‘Whenever we are faced with any calamity such as war, plague, or famine, we can come to stand in your presence before this Temple where your name is honored. We can cry out to you to save us, and you will hear us and rescue us.’

Vs 12: Just like Jehoshaphat and his army was feeling powerless in their situation I have been too. When you can't change things, and those things just seem to be getting worse, there is only one thing to do. Look to the the LORD our GOD. HE alone can help us through the battle we are in. We have to turn to HIM if we are going to beat what we are up against. 

12 O our God, won’t you stop them? We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to attack us. We do not know what to do, but we are looking to you for help.”

Vs 15-17: The LORD responded to Jehoshaphats prayer just like HE will respond to our prayers. HE tells us to not be afraid or discouraged because this is HIS battle. GOD will fight it for us but we have to let HIM. The battle "is not ours"! WOW! Is that an easy thing to do? Turn our battle over to GOD? Not always and I can tell you truthfully that I have a hard time doing that right now. But GOD was reminding me through this that I just need to do the few things I can and be still and watch the LORD get victory for me! HE is with me regardless of how I feel. HE is with you too so just let HIM take charge of whatever your situation is. What ever army you are up against right now! The LORD our GOD will not let us down. HE works in ways we don't understand. Just get up and keep on going through faith and trust in HIM!

15 He said, “Listen, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Listen, King Jehoshaphat! This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. 16 Tomorrow, march out against them. You will find them coming up through the ascent of Ziz at the end of the valley that opens into the wilderness of Jeruel. 17 But you will not even need to fight. Take your positions; then stand still and watch the Lord’s victory. He is with you, O people of Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or discouraged. Go out against them tomorrow, for the Lord is with you!”

VS 20: Just Believe . . . Believe . . . Believe!

20 Early the next morning the army of Judah went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. On the way Jehoshaphat stopped and said, “Listen to me, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be able to stand firm. Believe in his prophets, and you will succeed.”

VS 21: After we turn it all over to GOD and believe HE has it . . . "Give thanks to HIM!" The LORD our GOD loves us so much and HIS love does endure forever! If you like to sing your praises . . . Sing out! Shout your praises . . . then Shout! Give a Shout Out to GOD! Maybe like me you might be a little quieter . . . HE doesn't care. As long as you praise HIM! HE longs to hear the praises of HIS children. When we praise HIM we feel better about things too.

21 After consulting the people, the king appointed singers to walk ahead of the army, singing to the Lord and praising him for his holy splendor. This is what they sang:
“Give thanks to the Lord;
    his faithful love endures forever!”

VS 26: This verse reminds me that I "want" to walk in the Valley of Blessing. In the valley is where we can really meet with the LORD our GOD. Sometimes we have to get in the valley before we realize how much we have to really thank GOD for. HE blesses us when we are in the valley. Our valleys can be blessings to us as we walk through them. I just really need to remember to not let them get me down. To keep praising and thanking the LORD while I am in it. Then it will become a Valley of Blessing that we can look back on and remember all that the LORD did for us while we were there. We can share our valleys while we are going through them and after we come out of them. Our valleys, and what the Lord does for us through them, can help so many others that may also be in their own valley.

26 On the fourth day they gathered in the Valley of Blessing, which got its name that day because the people praised and thanked the Lord there. It is still called the Valley of Blessing today.

My study Bible says this for VS 15: If we ask for God's help when we face struggles, GOD will fight for us. And GOD always triumphs!  


 



7 comments:

Nikki (Sarah) said...

this is great Chelle. It's funny how we teach what we ourselves need to learn. I'm glad you're sharing from your heart...it inspires....You inspire.

child of God said...

Hi Chelle,
Sometimes the hardest thing to do is pull in close to God, especially when we are angry, or we messed up and feel like we cannot approach Him because of sin. This is when we really need to run into His arms.

I get like this too. I will have a bad day and fall into the trap of anger. Sometimes I feel like I can be in God's presence because of the sin, but God reminds me I have Jesus and He is covering me. All I need to do is say sorry and believe that God will wipe me clean again. This does happen!! Instantly I feel so much better and know God is hearing my prayers.

Anger, hatred...any kind of sin, just run into God, say sorry and He will wrap His mighty arms around you and you will feel instantly better.

Thanks for sharing the Scripture, love them!

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BelovedBomber said...

In the past, well still sometimes now, I also pull away. The thing is that is what the enemy wants us to do. He likes to use the divide and conquer approach. It is so reassuring, despite how it feels, to know that God is not against us but will fight for us. Thanks for sharing all the nuggets that God is revealing to you.

Brenda said...

Hi Chelle,
Amen to all that you have written. Strange how your first commenter, Sarah, said about how 'we teach what we ourselves need to learn'. I have just come off the phone after speaking to my friend and I mentioned to her that there is a beautiful word in the Welsh language. It is 'dysgu', pronounced 'dusgee', which means 'both to teach and to learn'. I believe this is why we are put through our 'valley situations', so that we can learn from the Lord how to get the victory in Christ, and then we are able to 'comfort others with the comfort we have received', thereby teaching them how to get the victory too. His strength is there in our weaknesses because that is the time that we will seek him. Lovely post to share!
God bless you.

Joy (Aesther) said...

Hey Chelle! Most of the time our anger or struggles may cause us to lose focus on God. I think it's crucial for us to realise that when we face with such situations, there's only two paths we can run toward to: To Jesus or to the devil. Running to Jesus will cause us to feed ourselves with the promises of God having a thankful heart, and running to the devil will cause us to feed our anger, blaming God for bad things that happened in our life. :)

Thanks for the post and the verses too! God bless ya Chelle! :D

Never Forsaken said...

Hi chelle,
Ahh yes! The valley is where the Lord will nourish us to give us the strength required to make it up to the mountain top, where we will see how far He has brought us, and where we can see His glory!
We all desire that mountain-top experience, but we must lay down in the valley first my friend...I know this is easier said than done, especially when we have our eye on that mountain top.
Remember a few months ago when I was stuck in bed for several days? Well, that was a hard valley to be in, but the Lord showed me many things while He had my full attention...I am still climbing to that summit, but I know I will encounter many valleys along the way...But the view from the mountain top is what I think is to see through God's eyes, and what a privelege that will be!
~Thy Word is a lamp unto thy feet and a light unto thy path~
(I am only an email away, if you need me Chelle)
~God bless you, my friend~ Lisa

Unknown said...

Oh how I need to run to Him when I'm down. He is our shelter. Let's hide in the shadow of His wing.