KJV Sermon Outlines
HOW TO PRAY ABOUT
YOUR PROBLEMS?
II CHRONICLES 20:1-30
It is a fact that even believers have problems and challenges in their
lives. Sometimes they seem to be perplexing and overwhelming. Let me
ask you. How do you, as a believer, go about solving those problems
and facing those challenges in your life which sometimes seem
impossible?
This is what we will be dealing with this morning. In the passage of
scripture that we have read, I believe we can find some truths that
will helps us to handle our problems, in fact we will discover some
truths that will help us to solve our problems through prayer. These
will be truths you will want to remember because sooner or later there
will be a time when you will need the super natural power of God to
help you solve a problem.
II Chronicles 20:1-3, It came to pass after this also, that the
children of Moab, and the children of Ammon, and with them other
beside the Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat to battle. 2Then there
came some that told Jehoshaphat, saying, There cometh a great
multitude against thee from beyond the sea on this side Syria; and,
behold, they be in Hazazontamar, which is Engedi..
In verse 6 he prays, O LORD God of our fathers, art not thou God in
heaven? and rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen? and
in thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to
withstand thee?
In verse 14 we find that as they stood in the assembly the Spirit of
the Lord came upon Jahaziel and he prophesied what God wanted
Jehoshaphat to hear.
Verse 17 gives us part of that prophesy, Ye shall not need to fight in
this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of
the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed;
to morrow go out against them: for the LORD will be with you.
In verse 20 they met the enemy: Believe in the LORD your God, so shall
ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.
Verse 29 says, And the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of those
countries, when they had heard that the LORD fought against the
enemies of Israel.
Jehoshaphat was King of Judah, the Southern Kingdom for about 25
years, and he was a good king. He was a righteous man who tried to
bring about a revival of faith in God in the nation. He had an army of
about a million men. On this particular occasion, he heard about the
armies of the Moabites and the Ammonites coming together to do battle
with Judah to drive them out of their land. And when he heard this, at
first he was afraid. But notice quickly what he did. In verse 3 notice
what he did when he was afraid.
A. When You Pray To God About Your Problems,
You Need To Understand That He Cares About Your Problems.
If we are not careful we will develop the attitude of the disciples
when they were caught in a storm. Master, carest thou not that we
perish?. ( Mark 4:38 ) You must understand that God does know about
and cares about your problem.
1 Peter 5:7 Tells us that we can cast all of our cares on Him because
He cares for us. Jehoshaphat knew and understood this truth. Therefore
he could talk to God about his problem.
Let's look at the prayer Jehoshaphat prayed. Notice how Jehoshaphat
addressed God, O Lord, God of our fathers . . . It was very important
that Jehoshaphat began his prayer in this manner. It's the same with
us because when you and I trusted Christ as our Savior, God the Father
entered into a covenant relationship with us. This is a relationship
of promise whereby God, at that moment, made a pledge with you and me
that everything which concerns us will concern Him. Every need we have
will concern Him. Every desire of our heart will concern Him. God has
committed to live within us and face every problem that we face,
because we are in a covenant relationship with Him. This means
everything that concerns me concerns God--every problem that I have is
God's problem. We entered into a covenant relationship when we invited
Christ to be our Savior and He desires to work in our lives if we will
let Him. The moment we invited Christ in our life we became a child of
God and He cares about His children. So the first thing we need to
remember is that God cares about our problems.
B. You Need To Pray With The Understanding
That God Is Greater Than Any Problem You Might Have Or Face.
Look at verse 6 again, O LORD God of our fathers, art not thou God in
heaven? and rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen? and
in thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to
withstand thee?
Is God all powerful? He is! Is He all knowing? He is! Is He merciful?
Yes He is. Has he made a covenant relationship with us? Yes, He has.
Can you think about anything today, any problem, any challenge, any
battle, any suffering, any pain, any circumstance under any condition
that is too large for God? Of course you cannot.
So, the second thing you and I need to remember is that our problem is
not too big for our God. God is greater than any problem we might
have.
What does that mean for us? It means when you and I face problems, we
face them on the principle that not only is my God interested in my
problems, but He has already become involved in my problems and is
powerful enough to handle them. I need to be reminded that if God is
powerful enough to rule the heavens and the earth and nothing or no
one can withstand Him, then my problems are no match for Him. God is
not weakened or intimidated by my problems. They pose no threat to
God.
I am sure there are some of you here today who are thinking, “Pastor,
that is OK to think about but you don't realize how big my problem
is.” I don't have to. God is aware of it. You see the way we pray
sometimes indicates whether or not we believe that God is greater than
our problems. Do you believe today that God is greater than your
problems. or do you see Him confused and perplexed by what you are
facing? Once you have established the fact that the God you are
serving is greater than your problems, then you have your problems
close to being solved.
C. You Need To Pray With The Understanding
That Praying To God About Your Problem Is Your First Response Not Your
Last.
I read a story a while back about a lady that went to the doctor for a
problem. The doctor told her that the only thing left to do was pray.
With that the woman grabed her chest and cried out, " O My God Has It
Come Down To That?"
What is your first response to a problem? Is it doubt, fear or
unbelief? Or is your first response to pray?
For many Christians prayer is often The last response to their
problem. They do as the lady did, " O My Has It Come Down To That."
Let me say one other thing before moving on. Many Christians don't
pray hardly at all until they find themselves in a problem beyond
their control.
Notice what Jehoshaphat did. He sought the Lord in fasting and
praying, which means that prayer and seeking the presence of God
became a priority.
D. When Problems Come Your Way, Ask Others to
Pray With You.
Look at verse 4, And Judah gathered themselves together, to ask help
of the LORD: even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the
LORD.
They Had A Baptist Prayer Meeting!
They Had A Prayer Chain!
E. When Praying Trust God To Give You A
Solution To Your Problems.
His solution may not be the solution you expected. Most of us, when we
come to God with a problem, have a solution in mind. Many times the
solution God has in mind is a total surprise. The best way to bring
your problem to God is not to assist Him with a solution. We must
bring Him the problem believing that He has a solution.
God's solution may come to you in a way you are not expecting. God may
choose to speak to you directly. He can and will do that at times. Or
God may choose to give you a solution through another person. Why
didn't God speak directly to Jehoshaphat and give him the solution? He
is the King.
He is a righteous man. He was seeking to lead the people of God in the
right way. God did not choose to speak to him directly. He used a man
by the name of Jahaziel. He stood in the midst of the congregation and
they all prayed to the Lord for a solution to this tremendous
challenge that was before them.
Look at verse 14, Then upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, …, came the
Spirit of the LORD in the midst of the congregation; It was through
him the people of God received the solution. Read with me verse 15,
And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem,
and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid
nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not
yours, but God’s.
You may want to write in the margin of your Bible these words: This is
a lesson every Christian must learn. When you invited Christ into your
life, God entered into a covenant relationship with you. He promised
to work in your life to bring about a solution to all of your
problems.
Verse 17 says, Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set
yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with
you,
“You don't need to worry about this problem. Stand firm in your faith.
Wait and watch for the solution to your problem. Do not fear or be
discouraged. Go out and face your problem for the Lord is with you.”
We all have a tendency to try to help God. God does not need our help.
He told Jehoshaphat to let the choir lead the way. When the people of
God went into battle praising and trusting Him for the victory, they
gained a victory they never had to fight for. They did not have to
worry about the battle because God was already there.
F. God's Solution Usually Requires An Act Of
Faith.
Look at Verse 20. And they rose early in the morning, and went forth
into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat
stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem;
Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his
prophets, so shall ye prosper.
Let's be honest. Most of us want God to solve the problem without
requiring anything of us. God's solution often times requires an act
of faith on our part because God's solution is usually beyond human
reasoning. If we are going to express faith, it implies a risk on our
part. Listen. No risk, no growth. God wants us living by faith. He
wants us trusting Him. God says, “I want you to get your choir
together.” “Don't you mean the army?” “No, I want you to get your
choir together.” “But this is a war!” “I want you to get your choir
together and I want you to put the choir out front, and when we get to
the battle, we are going to sing and praise.” “Lord, that isn't the
way you defeat the Moabites. Lord, you don't defeat trained warriors
by singing to them.”
When God tells you to do something, you either do it or you don't get
God's solution. Now suppose Jehoshaphat said, “Lord, we don't mind
having a choir. They can stand on the mount and sing while we fight.”
That is not what God said. When they got to the battle, the Moabites
began to fight the Ammonites. When the Israelites got to the battle,
all they had to do was pick up the bounty and loot. The fight was
over.
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