Week 40:
The bit where I introduce:
Have you ever uttered the words, “God, I don’t know what to do!”
It might have been in desperation, anguish, grief, panic, confusion, loneliness or a relationship breakdown.
I don’t think I’m alone in this, but particularly for me, this year has had me declaring this many times. Right now, in this limbo stage, I find myself saying it constantly.
But God, in His graciousness, provided me with some comfort in the story of Jehoshaphat (great name, BTW!).
He was in a tough bind. Armies were coming against his kingdom, he was outnumbered, and he cried out:
“We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”
2 Chronicles 20:12
And I think that is where something important begins, not necessarily the immediate rescue, but the turning of our eyes towards God.
The bit where I refer to the Bible and ask a few rhetorical questions:
2 Chronicles 20:10–12 (read the whole of chapter 20)
“And now see what the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir are doing. You would not let our ancestors invade those nations when Israel left Egypt, so they went around them and did not destroy them. Now see how they reward us! For they have come to throw us out of your land, which you gave us as an inheritance. O our God, won’t you stop them? We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to attack us. We do not know what to do, but we are looking to you for help.”
2 Chronicles 20 takes place during the reign of King Jehoshaphat, when Judah is suddenly threatened by a large coalition of enemy armies. Jehoshaphat is afraid, but instead of relying on his own strength, he calls the people together to seek God.
In his prayer, he acknowledges both God’s power and Judah’s helplessness: “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”
I think it’s a reasonable thing to cry out to God at this point if I was Jehoshaphat! He is facing something far bigger than his ability to control.
But notice what he doesn’t do. He doesn’t pretend to have all the answers. He doesn’t manufacture certainty. As king the person everyone is looking to, he admits out loud, “I don’t know what to do.”
And that isn’t weakness. It becomes an expression of faith because of what comes next: “But our eyes are on you.”
He acknowledges, I cannot control this, I cannot fix this, I don’t know what to do, but I know where I can look.
That resonates deeply with me. In so many situations in my own life, I’ve had to admit that I don’t have it all together. And strangely, once I stop pretending that I do, it becomes clearer where my focus needs to be: on Him. Sometimes christian faith can sound as though if we truly trust God, we should know what to do, feel peaceful, or have confidence about how things will turn out. But I think Jehoshaphat’s prayer gives us permission to say: I don’t know what to do!
When I read this chapter, it also struck me that God’s response wasn’t necessarily a detailed explanation.
Whenever I pray, my recurring request is for big neon signs. God, I need a step-by-step strategy. Please make it obvious! Often, I want God to explain everything, especially the why. I know that’s probably a little foolish of me, but I want answers.
Yet sometimes what we most need isn’t an explanation. It is the presence of God.
Jehoshaphat was reminded that the battle ultimately belonged to God. He still had to trust, listen and move forward, but he didn’t have to carry the burden of being the one who controlled the outcome.
The other point, I mentioned briefly I think is important is how Jehoshaphat acknowledged God’s power while also admitting his own helplessness.
Perhaps admitting our weakness isn’t a sign of failure, but an honest recognition that we were never meant to carry everything ourselves.
Pride can make this difficult because we often equate weakness with failure and feel the need to appear in control. Yet biblically, acknowledging our limitations is not weakness, it can be an act of faith.
We recognise that God is sovereign, and our ultimate security does not come from our ability to control our circumstances, but from trusting Him.
Jehoshaphat’s words remind us that dependence on God is not a last resort; it is the proper posture of faith.
Sometimes the first step is to stop striving.
We feel pressure to immediately fix, control or understand everything. But sometimes the faithful response is simply to pause, acknowledge our helplessness and look to God.
Perhaps the invitation of 2 Chronicles 20:12 isn’t to find immediate answers, but to change where we’re looking.
Not to other people.
Not to social media.
Not to our own ability to control the outcome.
We can acknowledge the fear.
Acknowledge our limitations.
Seek wise counsel.
Take the next faithful step.
And through it all, keep our eyes on Him.
The bit where you get to think about stuff: Questions for the week.
Where in your life right now are you saying, “God I don’t know what to do”?
What are you trying to control, fix or understand that you may need to surrender to God?
If you don’t have all the answers or know the outcome, what would it look like for you to keep your eyes on Him and take the next step?
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