READ | SERMON NOTES
Summary l When faced with threat and danger, we often respond in one of the following ways:
1. Fight Response – we attack the threat head on, take control, manage the crisis, and come up with a solution.
2. Flight Response – we run away, avoid the problem, or do anything that avoids us having to think about the problem.
3. Freeze Response – we don’t do anything, and don’t dare to rock the boat.
4. Fawn Response – we pander to the person, and agree with everything they say to avoid conflict.
The Bible offers a fifth response – the Faith Response.
How do we exercise faith in times of crisis, when the problem is too big for us to handle? This could be the loss of a loved one, an important exam, a broken relationship, retrenchment, an incurable medical condition etc.
From the two great battles involving David, the young shepherd boy, and Jehoshaphat, the King of Judah, we can draw four principles on how we can exercise faith in desperate times:
Principle 1
Personalisation– God is in our battle (1 Sam 17)
It was a defining moment in the battle between the nation of Israel and the Philistines. It was a “winner takes all” battle. While the rest of Israel saw the battle as being between Goliath and Israel, young David saw it differently. He saw it as being between Goliath and God, the God whom Goliath dared to defy. Three times, he referred to Goliath as defying God (V26, 36, 45). Goliath represents the giants in our lives that intimidate us, threaten to overwhelm us and cause us much worry and distress. We need to see that every battle we are going through, it is not about us and our problem, but it is about God and our problem. God is in our battle and the battle ultimately belongs to Him.
Principle 2
Recollection– Remember God’s goodness (1 Sam 17:34-37)
David’s confidence at being able to defeat Goliath was not based on fantasy or wishful thinking, but on his experience of God’s deliverance in the past. God had delivered him from the lion and the bear and God will deliver him from Goliath. (2 Cor 1:8-10). We have all had times in the past where God has answered our prayer or delivered us, but we are quick to forget. Then when crisis comes, our instinctive response is to catastrophize and worry about the worst case scenario. Instead, we need to recollect and remember God’s goodness and deliverance in the past and use these memories as the foundation of our faith in the present.
Principle 3
Proclamation– God is, God can and God will (2 Chron 20:5-12)
When the Moabites, Ammonites and the people of Mount Seir gathered to attack Judah, there was much fear in Judah as they were vastly outnumbered. King Jehoshaphat’s response was to gather the nation together, proclaim a fast and seek the Lord (V5-12). He stood before the people and proclaimed three things: who God is (His Person), what God can do (His power) and what God will do (His promise). God is, God can, God will. The following day, when the army of Judah went to the battlefield, Jehoshaphat put the worship team in front of the army. Worship is the ultimate act of proclamation, of who God is, what He can do and what He will do. Because of that, God took over and caused the enemies to destroy one another that by the time Jehoshaphat’s army reached the battlefield, their enemies were all dead. In times of trouble, we can choose to focus on our problem, on how weak we are, and complain and worry, orwe can choose to focus on how great our God is – on who He is, on what He can do, and on what He will do.
Principle 4
Restedness– Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord (2 Chron 20:14-17)
After Jehoshaphat’s proclamation, the Spirit of the Lord came upon the prophet Jahaziel who declared to the people of Judah that “the battle is not yours, but God’s” (V15). Judah was to position themselves, stand still and they would see the salvation of the Lord (V17). His words echoed the words of Moses to the Israelites before God miraculously parted the Red Sea (Ex 14).
Restedness is to cease from human activity so that divine activity can take over. It is not about laziness or giving up responsibility. It is about pausing our human reactions, recognising our inability and trusting in His ability, power and sovereignty. When human ability ceases in surrendered faith, God takes over and fights our battle.
God is waiting for us to let go and let Him take over because the battle belongs to Him.
(Sermon notes by Woo Choi Yin)
PONDER | REFLECTION QUESTIONS
- Why is it so difficult to have faith in times of extreme threat and fear?
- When we face challenges, do we feel that God is in our battle and that He can and will fight for us?
- Share one occasion in the past when God delivered you
- How are we able to cease from our human activity and let God take over?
