When God's Plan Seems Crazy — Broken & Hopeful

I was listening to Lisa Jo Baker today as she talked about a story in 2 Chronicles in which God told King Jehoshaphat to do some crazy things when faced with enemies bent on the destruction of his people. God told him not to fear, to stand still and to watch the Lord fight for him. So, he sent the choir out front of the army and marched down to meet the other armies. The singers sang praise to God and as they did this, the Lord defeated the armies and had them kill each other. When the Israelites arrived on the scene, nothing was left but corpses. It made me laugh because of how often God asks us to do the thing that doesn’t make sense, that makes us feel or look like a fool, or that is the opposite of what we would think we should do. 

David was supposed to fight a giant with a little sling and rocks. The Israelites were to walk around Jericho and yell. Gideon surrounded a giant army with 300 men outfitted with trumpets, pots and torches. Jesus defeated death by dying and rising again. Jesus’ followers and first leaders of the church weren’t the most eloquent or most accepted people, but rather the outcasts, tax collectors and enemies of Jesus who were brought by grace to see the truth and never turn away. 

And you. You get to face whatever battle is in front of you without fear or measuring your own resources. Instead, you fight by standing still, by looking to Him, by singing a song of praise, by raising a prayer, by celebrating your weakness because He is strong in it. We stand in victory not defeat. 

We can believe He is doing something even if we don’t know what or how. We don’t have to have enough to do whatever is ahead. Instead, we are to do whatever crazy thing God has called us to do because that’s what faith looks like. It’s seeing past the insanity of the calling to the One who will make it happen even in the face of impossible odds. It doesn’t have to make sense. It doesn’t have to be what we would have done. We let go of our illusion of control and trust Him for the outcome. 

Are you ready? Say thank you to Him for what He is already doing in the impossible and rest in His Love that surrounds you the whole way through. Do not fear or be dismayed because of whatever the enemy looks like. The battle is not yours but God’s, and He is with you.

You need not fight in this battle; station yourselves, stand and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out to face them, for the Lord is with you.” 2 Chronicles 20:17

Now my beloved ones, I have saved these most important truths for last: Be supernaturally infused with strength through your life-union with the Lord Jesus. Stand victorious with the force of his explosive power flowing in and through you. Ephesians 6:10