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Praying into Impossible Situations

by | Tue, Apr 14 2020

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Author: Pastor Greg Laurie

Do you feel like you’re in an impossible situation right now? Maybe the “what if” has become reality for you, and there’s no apparent way out. Maybe a national crisis has quickly become a personal crisis.

I recently read that nearly half of Americans believes the deadly coronavirus is a wake-up call from God. Perhaps you’ve had this kind of “wake-up call” in your own life, and you’re looking for answers.

If so, it’s crucial to recognize the power of God that can take place through urgent, storm-the-gates-of-Heaven type prayer.

We find an example of this in 2 Chronicles 20, where the bottom had suddenly dropped out for Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah. He received the devastating report that a vast army was coming against them.

But Jehoshaphat responded with three things that we can also do when crisis comes our way.

1. He Prayed with His Family

Where did Jehoshaphat begin? He prayed with his whole family. He said, “O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You” (verse 12). Then we read, “Now all Judah, with their little ones, their wives, and their children, stood before the Lord” (verse 13).

That is such a powerful scene. Here was a multitude of vulnerable people with an invading army coming against them, and King Jehoshaphat was saying, “Lord, we are depending upon You. We don’t know what to do, but our eyes are on You.”

Humanly speaking, it is a picture of weakness. King Jehoshaphat was saying, in effect, “Lord, here we are. We have the kids. We have an army coming toward us. What am I going to do here? Our eyes are on You.”

Many times we think of prayer as a last resort. After we have exhausted every other possibility, all we can do is pray. But that is what we should have done in the first place. It has been said that if you are swept off your feet, it is time to get on your knees.

Jehoshaphat shows us the importance of united, family prayer.

God answers the prayers of His people and can turn around radical, hopeless situations when His people go to Him in prayer.

2. He Recognised that the Battle Was the Lord’s

Jehoshaphat, King of Judah, faced a dilemma. His enemies greatly outnumbered him. To make matters worse, his enemies had joined forces with the other enemies of Israel and were coming to destroy him.

It was hopeless. There was no way that he could meet this army with what he had. He was going to be destroyed. What did Jehoshaphat do?

The Bible says that he “set himself to seek the Lord.”

Take another look at the content of his prayer: “O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You” (2 Chronicles 20:12 NKJV).

The Lord answered Jehoshaphat, “Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. . . . Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you” (2 Chronicles 20:15–17 NKJV).

He prayed, looking for an answer. And God answered Jehoshaphat’s prayer, intervened, and rescued them.

Jehoshaphat recognised that this crisis was out of his control. God turned an impossible situation around.

3. He Led with Worship

So Jehoshaphat and his army went out to meet their enemies, but they put the worship team out front.

We read that Jehoshaphat “appointed those who should sing to the Lord, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying: ‘Praise the Lord, For His mercy endures forever’” (2 Chronicles 20:21).

The Bible says that when they began to sing and praise the Lord, the enemy started fighting among themselves and destroyed each other.

Something supernatural takes place when people worship, more than we may ever realise. Even the enemy’s power can be broken through worship.

When we don’t know what to do, we can always pray and worship.

Maybe you are facing what seems like an impossible situation right now. You may not be able to see a way out. But God can. Call on Him. Then stand still and see what He will do.

Desperate Times Call for Desperate Faith

Here is a picture of a vulnerable people who don’t know what to do, who are completely dependent upon God. It is a great picture of what to do in time of need.

God answered the prayer of the king and dramatically altered his circumstances by destroying his enemies. Remember, you can turn to God in prayer in desperate circumstances, and He will hear your cry.


Are you gripped by fear, choked out by worry, or overwhelmed with anxiety about today’s crisis? Find biblical answers in Pastor Greg’s free new ebook, Bringing Christ into Your Crisis.


Listen to ‘A New Beginning’ with Pastor Greg Laurie weekdays on Vision Christian Radio.  Find your local times and more messages here.

This article originally appeared on Harvest.org and has been used with permission from Harvest Ministries with Greg Laurie, PO Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514 USA

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