Text: 2 Chronicles 20:22
Further Reading: 2 Chronicles 20:1-30
Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated.
2 Chronicles 20:22 NKJV
MESSAGE
Today we want to consider how the believer should respond when facing storms. We have earlier established that storms of life are inevitable but how you respond will determine if you will be victorious or not. Many people have responded to storms the wrong way and have found themselves victims rather than victors.
Let us consider the following approach and learn from men of old who have both faced and conquered the storms of life. The first approach you must take is to be encouraged. Since storms are ferocious, fear will certainly play a huge role in how you respond to your storm. Instead of being afraid, you can trust the Lord who is your very present help in trouble even if the mountains and the earth be quaking and the oceans roars (Psalms 46:1-2).
You must behave like David who encouraged himself in the Lord his God. Though the enemy came like a flood against David and his men, instead of wallowing in tears, David took courage in the fact that God can save him again. After all, David’s testimony was that God delivered him from the bear, the lion, Goliath, Saul, and many battles. God is still able to deliver him in the storms facing him. Can you also encourage yourself in the faithfulness of God? Since He has done it before, He will rescue you again.
Another thing you should do when facing a storm is to pray. Indeed prayer changes things. The Bible records that when Sennacherib came to war against Judah and besieged the whole city, King Hezekiah prayed to the Lord, and the raging storm was stopped. God gave victory to His people and the enemy was confounded. Pray in your storm.
If you feel overwhelmed and did not know how what to prayer to pray while going through a storm, you can invoke praise. The Bible says that God inhabits the praise of His people (Psalms 22:3). In our text of the day, King Jehoshaphat and the entire Judah proved by experience how praise can stop a perfect storm. When you praise God in your storm, victory is guaranteed because God Himself steps into the storm and declares peace.
Finally, you must learn to rest in the Lord while going through the storm of life. Fear and anxiety won’t do any good. Rather, place all your faith in the Lord who will not allow you to be overwhelmed by the storms of life. Ask your soul to be quiet and trust fully in the Lord.
REFLECTION
He calms the storm, So that its waves are still.
Psalms 107:29 NKJV
Jesus calms the storms, invite Him into your life, and hands over every of your battle life to Him.
PRAYER
Father, please speak your peace into every storm of my l