“What Do I Do When I Don’t Know What to Do?”
When the circumstances of life come up against us, what do we do when we don’t know what to do?
Our initial natural response when we are faced with a circumstance beyond our control is fear. How do we move from fear to faith in those situations? In 2 Chronicles 20:15, God says, “Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.” He knows the beginning and the end of the situation. We can do nothing about circumstances beyond our control, but God is sovereign and He is in control. Verse 20 says, “Believe in the Lord your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper.” What do we do? Trust God at His word; believe it when He tells us he will provide for us; trust in His faithfulness.
There are five things that I learned from this chapter about “what do I do when I don’t know what to do?”
1. Ask for God’s help. “And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord…” (v. 3).
2. Ask your friends, family, church family to pray with you in these circumstances. “And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. So Judah gathered together to ask help from the Lord; and from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord” (vs. 3-4). In Matthew, Jesus says, “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or more are gathered together in my name, I am there in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:19-20).
3. Keep your eyes on the Lord. “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, O Lord” (2 Chronicles 20:12). This reminds me of the song, Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus:
O soul, are you wary and troubled,
No light in the darkness you see?
There’s light for a look at the Savior
And life more abundant and free.
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace.
4. Stand firm in the Lord. “You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you” (2 Chronicles 20:17). Our position is in Jesus Christ within us. He is our victor. When Peter walked on the water toward Jesus, he did fine until he started to look around and become afraid (Matthew 14:29-30). Position yourself—your position in Jesus Christ will give you the faith to walk through these circumstances. Wait for the salvation of the Lord in patient perseverance, trusting in Him and in the outcome. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).
5. Trust and believe. “Believe in the Lord your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper” (2 Chronicles 20:20).
6. Praise God. When you are in doubt or are fearful, praise the Lord. Your fears will disappear and your soul will be lifted up. Pray through and during your circumstances and then praise God when you see His salvation. “And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the Lord, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying: ‘Praise the Lord, for His mercy endures forever.’ Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against their enemies and they were defeated” (vs. 21-22). When we get busy praising God in our circumstances, God gets busy working on our behalf. The people of God sang praises to God while they were in the thick of their circumstances.
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Rom. 8:28). Even if our circumstances don’t turn out the way we hoped, God is still working!
