I’ve been studying in 2 Chronicles lately, and am amazed at the golden nuggets the Lord has hidden in these verses of scripture.  In Chapter 17 I was studying about King Jehoshaphat.  In verse 3 it says “And the Lord was WITH Jehoshaphat.  Oh beloved ones, shouldn’t we all yearn to have it said “The Lord walked with Liz, Mary, Frank, John…..?  When I read that I yearned for it but then I thought why did the Lord walk with Jehoshaphat?  I did not have to go far to get my answer.  It says it right there in verses 3 and 4 “And the Lord was With Jehoshaphat because he walked in the first ways of his father David, and sought not unto Baalim; BUT SOUGHT TO THE LORD GOD of his father and WALKED IN HIS COMMANDMENTS and NOT after the ‘doings of Israel.”   The secret to having GOD WITH you and I is to walk in HIS commandments.  But first, we have to be surrendered to the LORD GOD and HIS WILL.  That only happens by recognizing that it is HE that has made us, and NOT we ourselves.  It happens only by recognizing that “ALL have sinned and fallen short of HIS GLORY.”  It happens when we like little children cry out to our FATHER and repent (to turn away from) our sin, our sin nature and ask for forgiveness and cleansing and for the Lord Jesus Christ to wash us with His cleansing blood, forgive us, and invite HIM to be Lord and Savior and Master of our heart and life.  In Jehoshaphat’s time Jesus as the crucified, resurrected Savior had not yet come to pay for full penalty of mankind’s rebellion and sin.  In Old Testament times they by faith believed God and His Word, His Commandments and followed them to the best of their ability.  2 Chronicles it goes on to say in verse 4 “But (Jehoshaphat) SOUGHT TO THE LORD GOD of his father and WALKED IN HIS COMMANDMENTS, and NOT AFTER THE DOINGS OF ISRAEL.  The scriptures tell us that there is a “way that seems right unto men but that way leads to death” but we need to remember that “the FREE GIFT OF GOD is through Jesus Christ our Lord!

It is stunning that as a result of Jehoshaphat seeking God and following Him that in verse 5 it tells us that “Therefore the LORD ESTABLISHED the Kingdom in his (Jehoshaphat’s hand) and ALL Judah brought to Jehoshaphat presents and he had riches and honor in abundance.  What a blessing God poured out on this King who by faith believed God and His Word and Commandments and obeyed them!  If you and I want to blessed by God, blessed to have HIM live HIS life in and through you and I, we have to seek HIM with ALL our heart, ALL our Soul, All our Mind, All our Strength and we must Believe that HE IS and that HE is a rewarder of them that DILIGENTLY seek HIM.  In verse 6 scripture tells us “And his (Jehoshaphat’s) heart was ‘lifted up’ (encouraged) in the Ways of the Lord.  Beloved ones, God’s ways are not our ways.  God’s ways are so higher than our ways.  The Lord says in Isaiah 55 : 8,9 “For my thoughts are Not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways”, declares the Lord.  “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”  Not only was Jehoshaphat’s heart lifted up in the ways of the Lord; moreover he took away the high places and groves out of Judah (the false places of worship and idolatry).  Jehoshaphat had “the book of the law of the LORD with them and they went about throughout all the cities of Judah and taught the people.  Folks, we can no longer do that in America, the land of the FREE, the Home of the Brave.  We have taken the Bible out of our schools, out of our businesses, out of our Government which is supposed to be ONE NATION UNDER GOD, out of our homes and in most places that call themselves churches, it has been taken out of the church.  Why you might ask?  The answer is THERE IS NO FEAR OF GOD!  When Jehoshaphat ruled Judah, He made the WORD OF GOD paramount.  Verse 9 said they taught God’s word THROUGH OUT THE CITIES and THE PEOPLE.  Verse 10 then tells us “And THE FEAR OF THE LORD FELL UPON ALL THE KINGDOMS OF THE LANDS THAT WERE ROUND ABOUT JUDAH, so that they made no war against Jehoshaphat.  When we took the Bible GOD’S HOLY WORD out of our foundation by yanking it out of the hands of our founding fathers who had a reverence for the Lord and His WORD.  When we took the Bible out of our school’s, businesses, government, homes and now a lot of churches, THE FEAR OF THE LORD LEFT.  Everyone began doing what seemed right to themselves.  I fear for our Nation, I fear for the world, because there is a time coming that the Bible calls Jacob’s Trouble Jeremiah 30:7  How awful that day will be!  No other will be like it.  It will be a time of trouble for Jacob, but he will be saved out of it.  Paul says it this way in 1 Thessalonians 5:3  “While people are saying “There is peace and security,’ then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman and they will not escape.”  This speaks of the time of tribulation over a 7 year period.

Many terrible things have happened to the whole world in just a small amount of time this year.  All our lives have been turned upside down.  We have lost American freedoms that most of us never dreamed would disappear.  There is a great pandemic dear ones, but it is not a virus.  It’s called SIN.  It’s called turning away from GOD and HIS COMMANDMENTS.  If we are Christians, we are HIS people and the sheep of HIS pasture.  If we had stayed under the crook of the Shepherd’s arm as the old Sunday School painting of Jesus holding the lamb while the flock stands around him, if we stay in HIS arms, walk in HIS ways, obey HIS commandments and walk in faith then we would not be in this situation.  But just as in the Bible, people have clamored to have the “gods like all the other nations”.  We have clamored to be Free to do our own thing.  In our arrogance we have thought we know better than Almighty God.  It’s not too late.  We as a Nation can turn and change and do what scripture says :  “IF MY people, who are called by MY NAME, will HUMBLE themselves and PRAY and SEEK MY FACE, and TURN from their wicked ways, THEN I WILL HEAR FROM HEAVEN, and WILL FORGIVE THEIR SIN and HEAL THEIR LAND.”

Join with me in praying that we will get on our faces, repent of our sin and rebellion and cry out for the lost to repent of their sin and seek the forgiveness and mercy of Almighty God through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Prayer, Petition, Repentance and returning to the Ways and Commands of GOD is our only chance of turning all this around.  I believe it can happen.  I pray it does happen.  Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon HIM.  Stop trying to be “like all the others”  become that “peculiar” people that God has called us to be.  Stop imitating the world.  It’s not about big homes, fancy cars, lots of money, “living the good life”.  It’s about humbling ourselves, loving our neighbor as ourselves, loving the Lord our God with ALL our heart, ALL our soul, ALL our strength and loving our neighbor as “ourself”.  It’s not too late.  Won’t you join me in praying for GOD to give us and this world another chance, by driving us to our knees in prayer, petitions, thanksgiving and repentance, ever interceding for all.  May God be with you.