I Need You

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.  II Chronicles 20:1

For all of you non-football fans, please excuse the analogy: ever have days when you feel like a 5’8” running back, holding the ball while four 6’6” linebackers are charging at you? You know what I mean! Everything is going against you, and you can see no escape! Life feels like that sometimes.

II Chronicles is no one’s first choice for devotional reading, but I found this gem the other day. Jehoshaphat (a very cool name 3,000 years ago), king of Judah, was informed that three powerful nations were poised to attack his people. There was no time and no way to escape. They were facing inevitable defeat. What did the king do? He raised his face toward heaven and called upon God to save them. He recognized their inability to defend themselves. He acknowledged that they had no idea what to do. He knew they had nowhere to turn but God.

I know that this kind of confession of helplessness goes against the grain of our human nature. We like to feel in control of our lives, our families. But frankly, we are not. I truly believe that God is never more pleased than when His people get on their faces in humble submission and lay everything out before Him. Our God invites us to come before Him in our need (Hebrews 4:16). We are encouraged to ask for wisdom when we have none (James 1:5). It is music to our Father’s ears to hear His children say, “I need You.”

-Pastor Mike