The Amish Voice 10
Bruce Lengeman joined us in October for the
Amish Voice Conference Call. Order his book, and
as the title says, learn “To Kill a Lion: Destroying
the Power of Lust From the Root.”
Do you struggle with lust or other sins and
addictions?
Learn from pastor, counselor, and writer Bruce Lengeman on how not
just to cover up or hide the problem (like keeping the lion locked up
in a cage), but how to find victory over the problem and be set free
through Jesus Christ. If you would like to order the book, send $15.00
(
that includes postage) to:
The Amish Voice, P.O. Box 128, Savannah, OH 44874
Did you ever face something that felt just too
big to handle? Did it seem like the odds were
stacked against you and there was no way out?
Take a chapter from the life of Old Testament
king Jehoshaphat, who was doing the best he
could when, without warning, the bottom
dropped out of his life (see 2 Chronicles 20).
Jehoshaphat was one of the few good kings to
reign over the southern kingdom of Judah.
Despite a few slipups, he tried to follow the
Lord and bring his nation back to the worship
of God by destroying the idols that had been
built in his land.
Then one day he received word that a "vast
army" of Moabites, Ammonites, and Meu-
nites—much larger than the army he com-
manded—was marching against Judah. The
odds were definitely against him.
The Bible tells us that Jehoshaphat was
"
alarmed." I should think so. But the first thing
he did was turn to the Lord for guidance. In-
stead of worrying, he did just as the apostle
Paul, centuries later, would instruct the church
at Philippi:
Philippians 4:6
Be careful for nothing;
but in every thing by prayer and supplica-
tion with thanksgiving let your requests be
made known unto God.
Jehoshaphat took his "alarm" to God and
sought His guidance.
Read the king's prayer in 2 Chronicles 20:5-
12.
In so many words he said, "Okay, God,
You gave this land to us as a promise to Abra-
ham. Then when our ancestors came here, You
told us not to destroy the Moabites and Am-
monites and the people of Mount Seir. In fact,
if You remember, You told us not to even
travel through their lands but to go the long
way around! So we did as You said and left
those people alone, and
now they are the ones
coming to attack us!"
Of course, God already knew all this, but Je-
hoshaphat laid out the situation before Him.
Listen to Jehoshaphat's request:
2
Chronicles 20:12:
O our God, wilt
thou not judge them? for we have no
might against this great company that
cometh against us; neither know we what
to do: but our eyes are upon thee.
And God did indeed help. God responded
powerfully, answering the prayer of the king
and his people. Just read what happened in
verses 13-30.
When you have an "impossible" need, remem-
ber that “
nothing is impossible with
God”
(
Luke 1:37). Talk to Him about it. He
may not answer all your questions. He may
not answer as quickly as he answered Jehosha-
phat. Then again, He might! But you will have
taken your need to the only One who can truly
help, the almighty Creator of the universe.
Hebrews 4:15-16
For we have not an
high priest which cannot be touched with
the feeling of our infirmities; but was in
all points tempted like as we are, yet with-
out sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto
the throne of grace, that we may obtain
mercy, and find grace to help in time of
need. What more could you need?
When You Have a Desire?
Did you ever desire something very much?
Sometimes the things we desire are not good
for us, and God knows it, so He says
no
to a
request. Sometimes the things we desire are
good but not good at that particular time, so
He tells us to
wait
.
At other times He sees our
pure hearts and motivations and answers with
a resounding
yes
,
as He did with Hannah (see
1
Samuel 1).
Hannah was an Israelite who was unable to
have children. Not being able to become preg-
nant is difficult and painful enough for women
today, but in Hannah's day, it was considered a
curse. To make matters worse, Hannah's hus-
band had another wife who
was
able to have
children, and she made fun of Hannah. Han-
nah's husband loved her very much, but she
still wanted to have a child.
Hannah took her request to God. You can read
her prayer in 1 Samuel 1:11:
And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD
of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the
affliction of thine handmaid, and remem-
ber me, and not forget thine handmaid,
but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man
child, then I will give him unto the LORD
all the days of his life, and there shall no
razor come upon his head.
God answered Hannah's prayer, and her child,
Samuel, grew up to be a prophet who helped
to heal the nation of Israel after the messy
years under the judges.
Jesus promises that when our requests are in
line with God's will, He will hear and answer.
John 14:13-14:
And whatsoever ye shall
ask in my name, that will I do, that the
Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye
shall ask any thing in my name, I will do
it.
Now this does not necessarily mean you can
ask for whatever you want and God will give
it to you. The key is to discover the will of
God and pray accordingly. Your requests will
more likely be in line with His will when you
are in tune with Him—learning about Him and
what He wants you to do, obeying Him, and
following Him. Then you can bring any and
every request to God, trusting Him to do His
will.
When Things Look Impossible
