I’m sharing some thoughts from Tim Keller’s booklet, The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness.

Tim writes: “If someone has a problem with low self-esteem, we, in our modern world, seem to have only one way of dealing with it. That is remedying it with high self-esteem. We tell someone that they need to see that they are a great person, they need to see how wonderful they are.”

Do you like people to tell you things like that? I sure do—who doesn’t? But guess what: No matter how many times people tell you that you are a great person, it doesn’t change who you are, does it? The only way you and I can truly be changed into a person of worth is when we allow God to do it in us. And that happens when we are born into God’s family through faith in Jesus Christ, and then the Holy Spirit takes up residence in us and begins transforming us into the likeness of Jesus Christ, with ever increasing glory, as we read in 2 Corinthians 3:18.

One clear proof you are no longer trapped in this false belief about the need for high self-esteem is you truly forget yourself. You are not the first person you think of in the morning—at least not every morning! You don’t compare yourself to others and feel either superior or inferior, because you just don’t think about comparing yourself to others. That happens when you are learning to be content with who you are, the way God created you, and how God has gifted you.

As Tim writes: “Boosting our self-esteem by living up to our own standards or someone else’s sounds like a great solution. But it does not deliver. It cannot deliver.” If you’re missing the freedom that is rightfully yours as a daughter or son of God through faith in Jesus Christ, if you’re trapped in a pursuit of good self-esteem, I invite you to find real freedom by learning what it means to live in the joy of self-forgetfulness. This is not to degrade yourself or deny your gifting. Rather it is coming to a place where you are not always plagued with trying to be what others want you to be or trying to make yourself look good. You’re just not very concerned with what others think about you, because you are just not thinking about yourself that much.

Have you ever said or thought: “My problem is I have low self-esteem”? I think most of us have had those feelings at some time. After all, that’s the message we’ve been fed from many sources: If you could just get rid of that low self-esteem, you would feel good about yourself, and you could put all your problems behind you.

I’m sharing from Tim Keller’s booklet: The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness, and he points out that up until the twentieth century, almost all cultures believed and taught that having too high a view of yourself was the root cause of all the evil in the world. Human pride, selfishness, greed, and evil were presented as the cause for all bad behavior.

But in our modern western culture, we have developed a completely opposite idea. Now our educational systems, our counseling curriculums, our treatment of prisoners, and much of our legislation starts with the viewpoint that all we need is feel good about ourselves. Think of some evil in our world today—such as abuse of children. This philosophy would have us believe this evil would go away if those who abused children didn’t have such low self-esteem.

Even secular psychologists have come to see the error of this belief system. Some have reported there is no evidence that low self-esteem is a big problem in society, but rather people with high self-esteem pose a greater threat to those around them. But this is hard for people to accept. As Tim writes, “The thing about the low self-esteem theory of misbehavior is that it is very attractive. You do not have to make any moral judgments in order to deal with society’s problems.”

If you’ve been trapped in this belief that you just needed some better self-esteem, I urge you to let it go and come to God’s truth as given in his Word. Feeling good about yourself can only be achieved as a by-product of knowing who you are in Christ and then forgetting yourself as you live your life to love God and love others. There is great freedom in self-forgetfulness, and if you’re struggling with this issue, I highly recommend this booklet by Tim Keller, The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness.

Since 1984 we’ve been broadcasting the good news that God’s Word is relevant to all areas of our lives, and most definitely to our jobs and careers. Very early on in this ministry, God began to show me the error of the self-esteem teaching that seemed to be sweeping the country.

The general theme of this teaching was the troubles that plague our society—crime and addictions and failed marriages and abuse—all of it is attributable to low self-esteem. It was thought and taught that if we could just help people think about themselves in more positive ways, then they wouldn’t do these things, and our societal problems would go away.

As I looked at myself and others, God made it clear to me that self is not my solution; self is my problem! And looking back at the topics I covered early in this ministry, I see that early on I was trying to communicate this truth. Trying to get people to feel good about themselves will not reach into the depths of their souls and bring healing. And that’s because each of us was born in sin, we commit sin willfully, and we simply have a sin problem. The Bible says there is nothing good in our selves—that all the righteous things we try to do are like filthy rags to God.

That doesn’t exactly fit with the good self-esteem message, does it? Recently I found a booklet by Tim Keller entitled The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness[1]. Tim did such a good job of explaining how this idea that low self-esteem is society’s big problem is just not true.

I want share some of Tim’s thoughts, which are echoes of what I’ve tried to say for many years on this topic of self-esteem. The title gives you a clue to where he’s going: The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness. When you and I can come to a place where life is not all about us, we begin to walk in the freedom Jesus came to give us. Believe me when I tell you: Self is your problem, not your solution, and when you grasp the incredible freedom of forgetting about yourself, you are going to love it.

—

[1] Keller, T. J. (2014). The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness: The path to true Christian joy. 10Publishing.

In part one I introduced you to the story of Jehoshaphat, one of the kings of Judah. It is found in 2 Chronicles 20 and is one of my favorite chapters in the Bible. I encourage you to read it for yourself; if you have time now, open your Bible to the 20th chapter of 2 Chronicles and follow along with me. Judah was the smallest of the two Israeli nations, with only two tribes. They were headquartered in Jerusalem, but they were small and not really equipped to fight a large enemy army.

Yet, in this chapter we learn that all of a sudden three enemy armies are headed their way with the full intent to destroy all of them and take over their land. We saw how Jehoshaphat responded when he heard this frightening news. He was alarmed, as you would expect, but his first move was to inquire of the Lord. Then, from his prayer, we are gleaning seven R’s that tell us what we should do when we don’t know what to do. Truly Jehoshaphat had no plan of how they could ever defeat this great army coming against them. But instead of feeling sorry for himself or running away or giving up, he inquired of the Lord.

First, he recited who God was, so he and his people would be God-centered instead of problem-focused. Then he remembered how God had been faithful to them in times past—he remembered how God had always been with them. So, the first two R’s are:

• Recite who God is.
• Remember what God has done for you in the past.

Now, we begin with the third R:

#3: Recall God’s promises.

That’s what Jehoshaphat does next. He says:

If calamity comes upon us…we will stand in your presence before this temple that bears your Name and will cry out to you in our distress, and you will hear us and save us (2 Chronicles 20:9).

God had given them the promise that if they would stand in his presence before the temple and cry out to God, he would hear and save them. Jehoshaphat was claiming that promise. He didn’t need to remind God of his promise; he needed to recall it himself and the people of Judah needed to remember how God had promised to take care of them.

The Bible has promises there just for you, did you know that? Have you learned to turn to God’s Word and ask for a promise when you face an impossible situation?

I remember when I first started this ministry in 1984 on one station in Chicago. That’s all I ever figured it would be, and I was thrilled that God had given me that opportunity. Then shortly after, opportunities began to open, and it dawned on me that this ministry could grow and become much larger than I’d ever imagined. And I was frightened; I knew how inadequate I was for such an assignment. I knew how inexperienced I was. And I really wanted to back out. But I couldn’t deny that God had opened the doors in a miraculous way.

So, I sat down with my Bible and prayed, “Lord, if this is a ministry you have for me, then please, give me a promise to hang on to as I embark upon it, because I know there will be days and times when I will want to quit.”  Well, my reading that day included Isaiah 50, and right there in that wonderful chapter is God’s promise for me. Let me share it with you:

The Sovereign Lord has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. . .  Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore I have set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame (Isaiah 50: 4-7).

I knew that was God’s promise to me. Those verses are now framed in my office, and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone back to them when I’ve been discouraged, when I’ve been tired, when I’ve been wearied of the responsibility. And that promise has sustained me and strengthened me to set my face like flint and claim the promise that I would not be put to shame.

Do you need a promise from God right now? Go to his Word and ask for it; God will give one to you, too.

#4: Restate the problem to God.

Now, after Jehoshaphat has recited who God is, remembered what he has done, and recalled his promises, then—and not until then—Jehoshaphat restates his problem. He prays:

But now here are men from Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, whose territory you would not allow Israel to invade when they came from Egypt; so they turned away from them and did not destroy them. See how they are repaying us by coming to drive us out of the possession you gave us as an inheritance. O our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us (2 Chronicles 20:10-12a).

Jehoshaphat is realistic about the problem. God has never asked us to stick our heads in the sand and pretend our problems don’t exist. But instead of griping and complaining or throwing a pity party, we should just present that problem to God with all the honesty of our heart and tell him exactly how we feel about it. That’s what Jehoshaphat did. He ventilated his anger and the unfairness of the whole situation. But he did it in the right way to the right One.

The sequence is extremely important. You restate the problem after you have recited who God is, remembered what he has done, and recalled his promises to you. Then you’re ready to focus on the problem because you’re God-centered instead of self-centered.

#5: Release the problem to God.

As soon as he lays out the problem to the Lord, Jehoshaphat releases the problem to God.

We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you (2 Chronicles 20:12b).

He admits his total inability to solve the problem. He doesn’t pretend to have any answers. But he simply says, “Lord, here it is. It’s your problem, not mine.”

That’s what Jesus meant when he invited us to exchange our heavy burden for his light burden. Just dump them at his feet in recognition of your own inability to do anything about them. That is releasing the problem to God’s care. It is evidence that you trust him.

Do you have trouble letting go? It’s one of my struggles. I may let it go and then a few hours later, I pick it up again. When you truly don’t know what to do and there seem to be no reasonable options open to you, that’s when you release it to God and declare that you trust him. Often, I have used Jehoshaphat’s very words: “Lord, I don’t know what to do, but my eyes are on you.”

#6: Rejoice in God’s salvation

This next step is really exciting. After his prayer, a prophet rose up and said: Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s…Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you (2 Chronicles 20:15-17).

That word of encouragement did not come until Jehoshaphat had released the problem to God. When you and I keep holding on, complaining and worrying and trying to fix things ourselves, we hold back God’s plan of deliverance. He’s waiting to see your act of faith, which must come before the deliverance.

The next day, as they sat out to face this impossible enemy, Jehoshaphat encouraged them again that they would be victorious because the Lord was fighting their battle for them. And he appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever (2 Chronicles 20:21).

You see, they went into the battle rejoicing that it was won. That’s the sixth R—rejoice in advance, even before you know how God is going to deliver you. You must give these singing guys credit. They marched in front of the fighting men, headed toward an enemy that could easily wipe them out, and they were the first to go. But they obeyed God and praised him for the victory even before it was accomplished.

And when they reached the battlefield, all they found were dead bodies lying on the ground; the enemies became confused and killed each other. Jehoshaphat’s army didn’t even have to fight. They had to show up; they had to obey God; they had to face the enemy; they had to claim the victory in advance. But once they got there, the fight was over.

Oh, what great principles we find in this wonderful example of faith. What is your impossibility today? Do you really want to let God take control? If so, follow Jehoshaphat’s plan and begin by

1. Reciting out loud who God is.
2. Remembering what he has done for you.
3. Recalling his promises to you.
4. Restating the problem, spelling it out.
5. Releasing it to God’s solution.
6. Rejoicing that he has already heard and answered.

#7: Rest

Now, there’s one more R that is the result of following these principles. We find it verse 30:

And the kingdom of Jehoshaphat was at peace, for his God had given him rest on every side.

Are you in need of some rest today? Are you tired of trying to fight your own battles? Are you weary of losing them? Maybe it’s time you followed Jehoshaphat’s example. Release the problem to God and let him fight the battle for you. You do have to show up; you do have to obey; you do have to march to the battlefield. But you don’t have to fight. It’s God’s fight, not yours. But first you must let go and give him control.

You can download a bookmark with all seven R’s here.

I’m examining how we can fight our way out of discouragement and find victory over that common struggle.

Find someone whose faith is strong

Paul wrote to the Romans: I long to see you…that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith (Romans 1:11-12). Here’s another biblical principle for defeating discouragement: Spend some time with a person whose faith is strong. Let them share their faith with you.

Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching (Hebrews 10:25).

We need to get together more often, even in the midst of our busy lives, because we need each other to stay encouraged. If you’ve been trying to go it on your own, without fellowship with other believers, you will find discouragement lurking at your door.

Stay in the Word

For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope (Romans 15:4).

Make yourself get into the Word of God. Even if it seems dry and lifeless to you, keep reading. It was written for our encouragement, and if you keep reading, it will encourage you.

Focus on Jesus’ return

In 1 Thessalonians, we are told of the return of Jesus, and Paul writes to encourage each other. When you think you can’t take this old world anymore, when it looks like there is no hope on the horizon, when you’re just fed up with everything, start talking about Jesus’ coming again. How often do you say, “Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!”? How often do you think, “It may be today!”? The more we think about his second coming, the more we will be encouraged.

Don’t fight – show up!

In 2 Chronicles 20 the prophet, Jahaziel said: Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s…Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.

You’re never going to win your battle on your own. But the good news is, it’s not your battle. It’s the Lord’s. You don’t have to fight; just show up. God’s victories are waiting for you to claim, but he’s waiting to see you exercise faith even before you see the victory.

“Take heart,” Jesus said. We have hope; we have a future; we have his presence and power. We are not alone or desolate. Take heart. I pray you will be able to defeat discouragement in your life.

Are you discouraged? If so, don’t feel guilty about it, but don’t wallow in it either. It’s not a fun place to be. I examine some biblical ways to defeat discouragement.

Encourage others

One way to cure your own discouragement is to encourage others. Proverbs 11:25 says, …he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed. Instead of looking for someone to pick you up, look around and see who you can encourage. Thank goodness we can be encouragers even when we feel discouraged. And as we become encouragers to others, our own discouragement is lessened.

Get to work

One good cure for discouragement is simply to get to work. Often when we’re discouraged, we’re unmotivated, so we do nothing. Then because we’ve gotten nothing done, we feel guilty, and that makes it even harder for us to get something done. Remember, you begin with the first step, so when discouragement seems to be overtaking you, find something that needs to be done. Then start doing it.

Get some rest

Of course, you may be discouraged because you’ve been going too hard and too long, and your body simply needs a rest. Elijah discovered how vulnerable he was to discouragement when he was physically exhausted, so God put him in a spot where he could recuperate and be refreshed with food and sleep. If your body is constantly on the verge of exhaustion, you can’t expect to avoid discouragement.

Ignore the discouragers around you

Are there people around you who are discouraging you with their negativity? Are you listening to others more than you are listening to God? Remember when Jairus pleaded with Jesus to come and heal his little daughter? On the way to Jairus’ house some men came from his house and said, “Don’t bother coming—she’s dead already.” But we read in Mark 5, ignoring what they said, Jesus told the synagogue ruler, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”

Others will discourage you if you allow them to. You must learn to listen to Jesus and tune out—ignore—the people who would discourage you. Tune them out; avoid them where possible; change the subject—whatever you must do—but don’t let negative people discourage you. Don’t catch their disease. Think about what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely and admirable—the good reports, not the bad ones.

Remember, being discouraged is not a sin, but refusing to take steps out of discouragement is. These biblical principles will work if you practice them.

If you’ve been discouraged lately, you’ve probably also felt guilty about being discouraged. But it’s good to remember everyone goes through periods of discouragement. I think it’s important to emphasize being discouraged is not a sin. God uses people who are discouraged; God understands discouragement; discouragement is a normal and unavoidable emotion we must all deal with. It comes to us in different ways, for different reasons, and at different times, but none of us escape discouragement.

However, wallowing in discouragement—that’s a different story. Jesus warned us, In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! He said, “I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

Discouragement becomes sinful when we refuse to take heart, as Jesus told us to do.

What does it mean to take heart? I think we can learn from David, who often fought discouragement. In Psalm 42, David says, My tears have been my food day and night. David is obviously discouraged. He continues, My soul is downcast within me. I say to God my Rock, “Why have you forgotten me?”

Identify the discouragement

David begins to defeat his discouragement by identifying it to the Lord. No need to put on a face and act like everything’s okay. Until you get it out in the open and call it what it is, it will just continue to fester underneath. David is open and honest with the Lord, and he says just what he feels. We need to do the same thing. But note David talked to the Lord about his problems; that’s the way we should do it rather than dumping it on others.

Talk encouragingly to yourself

But he doesn’t stop there. After identifying his discouragement, David talks to himself and says, “Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” In the space of eleven verses, David repeats these words to himself three times. He keeps on reminding himself of who God is and who he belongs to.

What do you say to yourself when you are discouraged? More discouraging words? That’s what most of us do, and we make a major mistake. Sure, you need to pour it all out, but once you get it said, then start saying the right things to yourself. Give a sacrifice of praise—praising when you don’t feel it or you don’t even want to.

One great way to do this is to start reciting all you have to be thankful for—out loud if possible. Sometimes I use the alphabet praise method—finding something about God to thank him for with each letter of the alphabet. It’s a great cure for discouragement.

When you’re having a problem or a struggle, doesn’t it help to know others have faced the same situations? David, Elijah, and Hannah were discouraged. Here are some other discouraged people in the Bible.

4. Naomi

Naomi was discouraged because of financial difficulties and terrible loss. Her husband and two sons had both died, and she was left penniless and homeless. “Don’t call me Naomi,” she told her friends. “Call me Mara (meaning bitter), because the Almighty has made my life very bitter…” (Ruth 1:20-21). It’s easy enough to understand her discouragement. Financial difficulties cause a great deal of discouragement for many of us.

5. Mary and Martha

Mary and Martha were discouraged because they lost someone they loved, and they had really expected Jesus to save him. After all, Jesus had been healing all kinds of other people; surely, he would come and save his beloved friend, Lazarus, they reasoned. And when he didn’t, they were very discouraged; Jesus had disappointed them. “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died” (John 11:21).

Have you ever set an agenda out for the Lord, expecting him to work on your timetable, and then been disappointed when he didn’t come through? That can be discouraging.

6. Peter

Peter was discouraged because of his own failure. After he denied the Lord three times, Peter went out and wept bitterly, we are told. I imagine he felt he had blown it for good, and he must have been terribly discouraged with himself. How could he deny the Lord, the one he promised never to deny?

When I look at myself and see how inadequate I am, how often I fail, how I go back and do the same things over and over I know I shouldn’t do, I get very discouraged. In fact, that discourages me probably more than anything else, how about you?

7. Jesus

Even Jesus fought discouragement when his friends failed him; when he was misunderstood; when he tried to help, and his help was refused. That really hurts when you have totally good motives, and yet people don’t approve or understand or support you. In fact, they may reject you, as they did Jesus. Easy to be discouraged then.

Well, it is encouraging to see even these great people of God went through times of discouragement. But now we want to know how they learned to defeat it.

Do you get discouraged? The answer has to be “yes.” If you aren’t now, you have been. If you haven’t been, you will be. None of us go through life without periods of discouragement. Let’s examine practical ways we can defeat discouragement.

Did you realize the Bible is full of discouraged people? Let’s think about some of the reasons they were discouraged, because they’re very similar to the things that discourage us.

1. David

Oh, that I had wings of a dove! David wrote; I would fly away and be at rest…I would hurry to my place of shelter, far from the tempest and storm (Psalm 55:5-6:8). David was discouraged because of an enemy who was jealous of him and trying to destroy him.

Do you have some people in your life who are consciously trying to do you harm? Are there some people close to you who are jealous or mean or vindictive? That can be very discouraging.

1. Elijah

Elijah was discouraged because of exhaustion. After a great spiritual victory, when he called down fire from heaven and destroyed all the prophets of Baal, one little woman scared him to death because she threatened to kill him. And he was ready to give up. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors” (1 Kings 19:4).

I find I am often discouraged after spiritual victories. How about you? Do you often find yourself discouraged just when God has done something wonderful in your life? It’s not unusual.

1. Hannah

Hannah was discouraged because the deepest desire of her heart had not been given to her. And it was a good and worthy desire—to have a baby she could give back to the Lord. Downhearted and discouraged, in bitterness of soul Hannah wept much and prayed to the Lord for a baby (1 Samuel 1).

Some of you are discouraged because of unfulfilled desires. Maybe it’s the desire to be married, but the right person hasn’t come along. Maybe, like Hannah, it’s the desire to have a baby, but your womb has been closed so far. Maybe it’s your dreams of serving God in some special way, but the door hasn’t opened yet. It can be discouraging.

We can certainly see discouragement is nothing new; it’s been around since the beginning of time.

The Old Testament gives us the history of God’s people, the Israelites, before the coming of their long-awaited Messiah, Jesus Christ. And throughout their history they had good times and bad times—times when they obeyed God and times when they went far astray. Eventually, they split into two nations, Israel and Judah, with ten of the tribes forming the Israel nation and two forming the nation of Judah.

I want to focus your attention to one of the most wonderful chapters in the Bible, in my opinion, 2 Chronicles 20, which tells us about Jehoshaphat, king of Judah. Jehoshaphat was one of the godly kings who obeyed the Lord and led his people to follow Yahweh. But they were a small nation, not well fortified, and therefore very vulnerable to their enemies.

In chapter 20 of 2 Chronicles, Jehoshaphat finds himself and his nation in a truly frightening predicament. Here are the first four verses of that chapter:

After this, the Moabites and Ammonites with some of the Meunites came     to make war on Jehoshaphat. Some men came and told Jehoshaphat, “A vast army is coming against you from Edom, from the other side of the Seas. It is already in En Gedi.” Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah. The people of Judah came together to seek help from the Lord; indeed, they came from every town in Judah to seek him.

Jehoshaphat is faced with a grave dilemma. His entire army and his entire country could be wiped out by this enemy army. And he is alarmed. Who wouldn’t be? But notice what Jehoshaphat does in his alarmed condition: He resolves to inquire of the Lord.

He could have inquired of his political advisers. They would have undoubtedly told him to try to make a peace treaty with this vast enemy and save their necks, even if it meant giving up the land. He could have inquired of his military advisers, who would have told him to retreat and get out as fast as possible, because there was no way they could defeat this great military army coming against them. But Jehoshaphat didn’t inquire of people or counselors or advisers. He inquired of the Lord.

Where have you been running for answers as you face your impossible situation? Is the Lord the first one you turn to? Amazing how often we do everything else except inquire of the Lord.

This should be the first thing we do when we don’t know what to do: Inquire of the Lord. Notice that Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord; he set his will to do it. I can imagine his feelings were taking him in different directions. I can believe he wanted to start running fast and take some kind of action immediately. But he knew he would only find answers by inquiring of the Lord, so whether he felt like it or not, he resolved to do that.

Many times, we run with our emotions when we’re up against impossibilities. And our emotions take us to hasty action, to running away, to seeking advice from the wrong people, etc. If we would first inquire of the Lord, sit down with his Word and ask for direction, spend time in prayer to listen to his voice, we would find the answers we need.

I remember at one point in my life, many years ago now, when I was suddenly faced with what seemed at the time to be a potentially disastrous situation, and I truly didn’t know what to do. So, what did I do? I picked up the phone to call my best friend and ask her what to do! Now, there’s nothing wrong with seeking godly advice from trusted advisors, but that’s not the first place we should go, is it? Well, wouldn’t you know she wasn’t there. This was long before we all had cell phones, and so I couldn’t reach her. I just kept redialing and redialing her number, pacing the floor, and becoming angry with her for not being there when I needed her.

It was one of those teaching moments in my life, when I could hear the voice of God in my head clearly saying to me, “Why would you call her before you call me?” I realized I hadn’t inquired of the Lord; I hadn’t prayed about it or sought God’s guidance through his Word. So, I just stopped dialing and started praying.

How often have you said something like, “Well, there’s nothing I can do now but pray.” We seem to have this idea that when we’ve tried everything else and we can’t do anything about it ourselves, then we pray, then we inquire of the Lord.

Maybe that’s where you are today—you need to inquire of the Lord. Have you done that yet? Make sure it’s step one; then you’ll know what other steps you should take.

Well, when Jehoshaphat called the people together to inquire of the Lord, he left us an incredible example of what to do when you don’t know what to do. Instead of giving up, he called the people together, and I want to give you the prayer he prayed at that moment, in verses 5-12.

Then Jehoshaphat stood up in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem at the temple of the Lord in the front of the new courtyard and said: 

“O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you. O our God, did you not drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend? They have lived in it and have built in it a sanctuary for your Name, saying, ‘If calamity comes upon us, whether the sword of judgment , or plague or famine, we will stand in your presence before this temple that bears your Name and will cry out to you in our distress, and you will hear us and save us.’

“But now, here are men from Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, whose territory you would not allow Israel to invade when they came from Egypt; so they turned away from them and did not destroy them. See how they are repaying us by coming to drive us out of the possession you gave us as an inheritance. O our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you.'”

Jehoshaphat’s response to his impossible situation gives us some wonderful principles we can follow when we don’t know what to do. I want to point out seven R’s I hope you’ll remember. 

#1: Recite who God is.

Notice the first thing Jehoshaphat does is to recite the characteristics and nature of God:

You are the God who is in heaven. You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in your hand and no one can withstand you. (2 Chronicles 20:6).

Jehoshaphat’s first move was to remind himself and his people of God and his power. And it has to be our first move, too. You know, when you’re facing a dilemma, your mind is so focused on the problem, you’re so worried and frustrated, that you truly must train yourself to go back to the basics. You must move from being problem-focused to being God-focused. So, the first thing you need to do is recite who God is.

Now, this assumes you know God well, doesn’t it? And that means you have made getting to know God a priority in your life through daily meditation on his Word, prayer, and fellowship with other believers in a good church where you hear the gospel faithfully proclaimed. You can’t wait until the crisis arises to get to know God. You get to know God so that when the crisis arises, you are ready and fortified to face it.

#2: Remember God’s great works

After reciting who God is, Jehoshaphat remembers what God had done:

Did you not drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend? (2 Chronicles 20:7).

Isn’t it amazing what your memory does when you’re in a crisis or when you’re discouraged? It takes an act of our will to remember what we should remember. But it’s really important at these times that we purposely remember God’s past miracles in our lives, his faithfulness to us in days gone by, his deeds of old, as Jehoshaphat did. That’s the second thing to do when you don’t know what to do.

Years ago, I began to keep a record of my prayer requests. I wrote them in my prayer journal, and when God answered the prayer, I would note that in the journal. Some of the prayers seemed insignificant, but they were important in my life. Some of them were more consequential. Most of them have been answered by God—though not always the way I expected or asked. Some are still open; others have been crossed off the list. But now I have a record pages-long of answered prayer. You know, I would have forgotten most of those blessings if I hadn’t written them down. But now, just by re-reading that list of answered prayer, I can remember how God has met my needs in the past.

I strongly recommend this practice, because if you don’t keep a record, you’re likely to forget what God has done for you. Jehoshaphat and his people needed to focus on how God had delivered them in times past so that their faith would be strengthened to believe that God would deliver them again.

So, the first thing you should do when you don’t know what to do is recite who God is and then remember what he has done for you in times past. Now, there are five more “R’s” we learn from Jehoshaphat. Please read part two for the rest of the list.

We have prepared a bookmark for you with these seven R’s, and you can find that here.

Presented by Lauren Stibgen As we wrap up talking about some of the worldly ways we try to calm our anxiety that typically don’t work, I want to address the fine line of talking it out with a friend verses gossip. I admit, sometimes talking to a close friend about something that is causing anxiety is helpful. Do you ever feel like this verse: Do not be misled: Bad company corrupts good character (1 Corinthians 15:33). These days I am very selective about who I seek counsel from. First and foremost, I look for fellow Christ-followers. I saw a note today that said, “The best kind of friend is a praying friend.” Seeking this kind of community is essential to keeping us close to our peacekeeper Jesus. After all, the bible tells us that, The way of fools seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice (Proverbs 12:15). I want to be sure the advice I am seeking from others is based in biblical truth. Proverbs 15:22 states Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed. I have spent time focusing on how to build this bench of advisers and dear friends I can count on when I need an ear. Carefully discerning how I work through some of the things that cause anxiety can also be important. I want to be mindful that my talk doesn’t turn into gossip. Shared friends and relationships can sometimes lead to hurt feelings. If I am ever needing advice within a shared friend group, I always make sure I am seeking it outside of that group of friends. When you find yourself naming names and bringing up things that maybe aren’t kind, make sure your intentions are headed in the right direction. Are you talking about it just to vent or gossip, or are you seeking wise counsel to help you work through this stressor? Back to that phrase, “The best kind of friend is a praying friend.” Another one you may have heard is, “Have you prayed about it as much as you have talked about it.” Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God (Philippians 4:6). Having a confidant to pray with you about what is making you anxious can surely be a help.