What to Do When You Don't Know What To Do - Part 1

We are all going to have struggles in life. That’s a given. If anyone has told you, “Give your life to Christ and everything will be rosy from then on,” well … they were wrong.

Although Jesus said He came to give us an abundant life, one that is fulfilling and rewarding, He did not say it would be trouble-free.

So, the question is, when troubles come your way, what do you do? In this case, I’m not just talking about the everyday kind of things that happen in life such as the refrigerator breaking down, but I’m talking about the heavy stuff. You got a pink slip at work or a bad diagnosis from the Doctor. Or maybe there is a broken relationship you just can’t seem to fix. Misunderstandings. Accusations. Something happens out of your control and you are powerless to fix it.

I feel God has given me 6 steps to do when I’m feeling stuck in a situation that is bigger than me. He has given biblical examples I can use and I want to share them with you.
 

Today, I will be sharing step one with you:

1.     Get Your Eyes on Him

The first thing to do when overwhelmed with a problem is take your eyes off the problem and put them on Him. (The more you look at the problem, the bigger it’s going to get.)

God is bigger than your problem. I don’t care what it is. Think of the worst thing that could possibly happen and He is bigger than that.

Jehoshaphat is my first example. Look at 2 Chronicles 20:5-12. Click on the link to read the whole thing.

Two things I want to point out here: 

·        Jehoshaphat reminded himself and those listening WHO GOD IS. He said are You not God in heaven, and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in Your hand is there not power and might, so that no one is able to withstand You? ⁷ Are You not our God, who drove out the inhabitants of this land? When praying for impossible things, first remind yourself of who God is and His attributes. If you are praying for healing, start by praising Him for BEING the healer, for the stripes He took for our healing, etc. If you are praying for your children, praise Him for being the ultimate parent, if you have need focus on Him being Jehovah-Jireh, our provider, etc.

·        And then, in verse 12, the smartest thing Jehoshaphat said, “nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.” Total trust. Basically, he is saying Father I am powerless so I am watching you for deliverance.

Get Your Eyes on Him. Think about it. If your focus is always on Him, all the stuff on life is not going to overwhelm you nearly as much! If your eyes are on Jesus, you will see when He moves. You’ll be in sync with Him. 

Now, let's consider Gideon. The bible says he and the children of Israel faced an army so vast it. Could. Not. Be. Numbered!

You think you got troubles?

You remember the story of Gideon, right? You can find him in chapters 6-7 of Judges.

Here is the backstory:  Basically, Israel had 40 years rest from fighting off their enemies and what happened?  They got complacent and "did evil in the sight of the Lord."

Same old story ...  (Focus on Judges 6:1-6)

·        So, in order to get their attention and turn their hearts toward Him, God allowed the Midianites to come against them. A horde of enemies that were without number.

·        The Midianites would swoop down during harvest time and ravage Israel so that their hard work came to nothing. They were deprived of the basic necessities of life.

·        So THEN the Israelites cried out to the Lord. WHY did they not call out to the Lord the first year? Stubborn, much?

·        So, in answer to the Israelites prayer, He sends a delivering judge.

Check out Judges 6:11-13:

·        The pre-incarnate Jesus finds Gideon threshing wheat, not on top of a hill or high place so the wind could blow away the chaff, but in a low place, both literally and spiritually.

·        The Lord called Gideon a man of valor, but all Gideon could do is question God.  (Isn't this just like us?)

·        Gideon thought God had forsaken His people.  Are we guilty of thinking God has forsaken us?

Now examine Judges 6:14-16:

·        Gideon thought of himself as the least of his family.

·        God told him "Surely, I will be with you."

·        No matter what we are facing, we can be sure that God has not forsaken us, He is with us. God told Moses the same thing in Exodus 3:12, and Jesus told all believers He would be with them ALWAYS, UNTIL THE END OF THE AGE, in Matthew 28:20.

So we see that both Jehoshaphat and Gideon had to get their eyes off the trouble around them and put their focus on God who is always with us.

Would you like to know what happened to both Jehoshaphat and Gideon? Read all the post in my series!

You can click on the links below to read each post in the series as it goes live:

Part 2
Part 3
Part 4 
Part 5
Part 6

Remember, the first step to do when you don't know what to do is to get your eyes on Him!

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Have you faced, or are you facing, an impossible situation? What is the first thing you do? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

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I'm linking this post with the community at Jennifer Dukes Lee's #TellHisStory, because my story is I need to keep my eyes on Him.