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"Then
the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet, for his God gave him
rest all around."
2
CHRONICLES 20:30 (NKJV) |
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| I
don't know about you, but the holidays around my house
are generally chaotic. Last-minute gifts to buy. Cards
to write. Lights to string. Relatives to call. Twenty-eight
dozen sugar cookies to bake (for my wife to bake, I should
say). Within moments of digesting the last of Thanksgiving
dinner, the season's peaceful tranquility is overwhelmed
by the hussle and bussle of the holiday rush... |
| In
the midst of the chaos of the season (or just "life"
in general), let's take a moment to gather some perspective
with a quick snapshot from 2 Chronicles 20. |
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Click
the shovel icon if you ever want
to "dig deeper" into any of the
points below. |
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| Here's
the scene: Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, finds
his nation surrounded by the enemy armies of Ammon and
Moab. Grossly outnumbered and on the brink of total annihilation,
the peace of an entire nation is put to the ultimate test.
Read the chapter |
| What
can we learn from the way King Jehoshaphat and the people
of Judah handle their "stressful" (to say
the least) circumstance? |
| 1 |
Go
right to God (vv. 3-4) |
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| "So
Judah gathered together to ask help from the
LORD..." (v. 4) |
| Without
a moment's hesitation, King Jehoshaphat and
the people of Judah hit their knees, coming
together to seek God for deliverance. They
don't allow fear to paralyze their faith.
They don't try to reason their way out. They
don't whine to God and throw a country-wide
pity party. Instead, they go straight to God
for help! |
| I
hate to say it, but there's absolutely nothing
better than a trial to show us what we're
really made of! |
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| 2 |
Humbly
admit your weaknesses (v. 12b) |
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| "...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"
(v. 12b). |
| Undoubtedly
one of the most effective prayers ever uttered.
Why? What makes this prayer uniquely powerful?
Because it echoes through the corridors of
heaven with the tone that God loves to hear
the most: true HUMILITY spoken from a DESPERATE
heart that's reached the end of itself. |
| If
we're not extremely careful (especially us
men), pride takes root and the ever-popular
"Step back, folks, I can handle this"
attitude (said with gruff, throaty voice while
hiking up pants) rises up and sabotages God's
ability to intervene on our behalf. |
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| 3 |
Wait
on the Lord to respond (v. 13) |
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| "Now
all Judah, with their little ones, their wives,
and their children, stood before the LORD"
(v. 13). |
| It's
easy when we're in crisis mode to throw up
"courtesy prayers" to God, simply
because that's what is expected of us as "good
Christians". Then, when God doesn't respond
instantly with a tidy solution to our problem,
we immediately run off to take care of things
our way. In reality, we were set on handling
things from the start, and never even expected
or wanted God's input (that crunching you
hear is the sound of toes being stepped on). |
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| THE
CONCLUSION: |
| Your
peace may be tested by any number of challenging circumstances.
Perhaps the holidays are a lonely time for you, and it's
a daily battle to fight through feelings of depression
and discouragement. Maybe you're struggling with a recent
job loss, the death of a close friend or relative, a rebellious
teenager, or just the daily stress of life in general. |
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Or maybe you're doing just fine, but you simply need to
boost your faith for the next time your peace is challenged
(and trust me, there will be a next time!). Whatever it
is, God's ready to meet you right where you are! |
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| TAKE
ACTION: |
 Today,
let me encourage you to make a shift in your perspective.
Think of it like a satellite dish. Unless the dish is
physically turned to pick up a different signal, the same
stream of information will continue being received. If
you truly desire God's peace in your stressful circumstance,
you have to start picking up God's signal...so stop doing
what you've always done! It's time to "shift
your dish"! |
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| How
do you "shift your dish" and gain God's
perspective? |
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Talk
to Him. Take a few minutes to pray
through the five points above. Ask God for His indescribable
peace (Philippians 4:7). Admit your struggles with
pride, fear, and insecurity. Thank Him for his unimaginable
goodness and grace... |
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Dig
into His Word. Meditate on the Scriptures
listed under "Related Verses" at the top
of this study. Write them out on index cards and
stick them in places where you'll see them constantly
(bathroom mirror, car dashboard, computer monitor,
etc.)... |
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Persevere!
Determine in your heart to hang onto your peace
no matter what comes against you...and no matter
how many times you fall, get back up! |
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DIG
DEEPER
with PC Study Bible |
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| Use
the links below to take this study to the next level... |
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THE
MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language ©
2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved. |
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THE NEW KING JAMES VERSION, Copyright © 1982,
Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved. |
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THIS STUDY
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| • |
Numbers
6:24-26 |
| • |
Psalm
4:8 |
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Psalm
29:11 |
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Proverbs
17:1 |
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John
14:27 |
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John
16:33 |
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Romans
8:6 |
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Philippians
4:7 |
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| • |
What
were the holidays like for you growing up? Were
they generally peaceful or more chaotic? |
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How
do you normally react when your circumstances feel
out of control? |
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Talk
about a specific time when it was difficult for
you to hold onto your peace. How did you "get
it back"? |
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What
is your favorite Scripture to meditate on when your
peace is challenged? |
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On
a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being "calm as can
be" and 5 being "totally tied up in knots",
rate how peaceful you are right now. |
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Pray
as a group and encourage one another to cling to
the peace God's provided for each of us. |
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