“Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. And Judah assembled to seek help from the LORD; from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the LORD.” 2 Chronicles 20:3-4
Alarms are valuable devices. Their name reveals the exact emotion they elicit -alarm. In our home, we have a freezer that screams obnoxiously when the temperature rises too high inside. The noise sends a message loud and clear. This warning is a call for action that cannot be ignored, without which great loss would occur.
Jehoshaphat was alarmed when he received word of a pending enemy attack. “A great multitude is coming against you…” 2 Chronicles 20:2. Although he lacked wisdom in other daily decisions of life, his call to action in this scene is a powerful display of his faith in the one true God. Rather than being paralyzed by panic, he gathers his people together so they can fast and seek the Lord together.
What is the first step you take when you receive alarming news? If we are honest, we can list multiple go-tos in response to our emotional condition. Any response that keeps us from God is also keeping us from the source of the very help we need. Anything or anyone that deters us from Him, although well-intended in most cases, isn’t actually helpful. When you are tempted to be paralyzed by panic or turn to the wrong resources, let the example of Jehoshaphat be a model to follow; come together with your community of believers, and have a pointed time of seeking God together.
Dear One, call on him when the alarms of life are sounding instead of being paralyzed by panic.
