Staying Focused

O our God, will You not judge them? For 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. 2 Chronicles 20:12

Imagine you’re facing a huge challenge. You’ve done everything you know to do—prayed, searched the Scriptures, sought counsel—and you still see no solution. You are on the verge of despair when you come across the story of King Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20. Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, was being threatened by the armies of three neighboring nations. He took the proper initial steps, proclaiming a fast in Judah and gathering people from every town to assemble and seek the Lord’s help. Jehoshaphat led the people in a passionate prayer (verses 6-12), reciting how God had helped them in the past. He concluded his prayer with two key points for everyone facing a huge challenge. First, we have no ability of our own to solve this problem, and second, “Our eyes are upon You.” It is not a weakness to admit weakness (2 Corinthians 12:10). In fact, if that weakness causes us to refocus our attention on God, that’s a good thing. God answered Jehoshaphat’s prayer, routed Israel’s enemies (verses 15-30), and peace was restored. Let Jehoshaphat’s response be a reminder to keep your eyes on God when you don’t know what to do.