We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you. (2 Chron. 20:12)
God gives us all many gifts. Among mine, however, you will not find the gift of, uh . . . geography? If an area or route is new to me, I’ll definitely get lost along the way. And even when I know the way, if someone paints that pink house where I always turn, I’m doomed. But God makes up for my shortcomings and has provided a huge blessing . . . GPS. All I have to do is ask it for directions. Oh, then follow them.
The Israelites, under Jehoshaphat, faced a daunting task. People God intended to be removed from the Promised Land remained. And now they were preparing to attack God’s people. It would have been easy for the Israelites to rely on their own military knowledge. They’d defeated army after army already. However, they didn’t go off on their own. Instead, Jehoshaphat led the people in a humble prayer, telling God they had no idea what to do and refused to proceed without His clear instruction.
God can use us to accomplish mighty things. But as we prepare to undertake them, we must stop to ask Him for explicit instruction. We must humbly admit that our human abilities aren’t enough. And we must trust Him, remembering His mighty works for and through us in the past. And following His instructions, we can proceed in confidence, knowing that directions God gives us will never lead us astray.
Ask God to make His instructions clear for the tasks at hand today.
Diane Gardner lives in the San Francisco Bay area with her husband. She enjoys oil painting, theater, music, and church ministry.
