Seek the Lord first; Focus on Him

 ”Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. O our God, will you not execute judgment on them? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”“ 2 Chronicles‬ ‭20‬:‭3‬, ‭12‬ ‭ESV‬‬

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  • I was reflecting on 2 Chronicles 20:1-23. There were lots of "ites" that were coming against Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah. Which got me thinking, what are the "ites" that are coming against you? Against me? Angryites; Jelousyites; Envyites; Discouragementites; Self pityites; Pridites? What are the ites? When you recognize these "ites" are coming against you, what is the first thing you do? Jehoshaphat sought the Lord; proclaimed a fast; made others aware of the struggle.  He set his face; fixed his eyes to seek the Lord. He didn't focus on the size of his problem. He focused on God and what God could do. In Matthew 6:33, Jesus calls us to do the same. Seek Him first. Trust that everything else will be taken care of. All the people came together to seek the Lord. They weren't relying on their own strength. But they were remembering the power/strength of their God. 
  • Then there’s David and the Philistine, in 1 Samuel 17:45,47 NIV, Where David says, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”
  • I  love how David spoke to his "mountain", he faced it head on. He called out the negative voices in his head. The voices that said he wasn't good enough, strong enough,  or that he'd never make it. He countered the lies with the truth of who he knew God to be, he went towards his challenge in the strength of his God.  What if we were to do do the same? Say to our "mountain", whatever it may be, you come at me with fear, and lies and discouragement, but I come to you in the strength of my God! What if we spoke to our "mountain" the truths of who God has been and will continue to be in our lives? The other thing I noticed, as the people in 2 Chronicles 20:1-23, were seeking the Lord, waiting on Him and trusting in Him to act, they were praising Him! "Give thanks to the Lord for His steadfast love endures forever"! We can do the same! As we give our burdens to the Lord and wait for His guidance, we can, as Paul says, rejoice in Lord always! I mean, have you ever noticed how when you are singing praise songs, it's almost impossible to feel bad at the same time! 
  • We can also arm ourselves with the  promises of God to help us deal with whatever issues we face. Like Zechariah 4:6…”Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit says the Lord of hosts." Or Romans 8:37…”in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us." God also promises us, in Jeremiah 29:12-13, that when we cry out to Him He will hear us! When we seek Him, we will find Him! 
  • So when the “ites” are coming against you, remember, seek the Lord first, focus on Him. Speak to your “mountain” the truth of who God is, sing your heart out in praise to Him. Cling to His promises, He will see you through!


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