Talk Together
Family conversations with God’s Word.
What are some of the things you always do, whether you think about it or not? Do you have to think about breathing or blinking, or do you just ALWAYS do those things? One of the things the Bible tells us to always do is to be thankful and pray, no matter what is going on in our lives.
Sometimes we forget to go to God and pray when life is busy or crazy. The Bible tells us the true story of King Jehoshaphat. When he was king of Judah and didn’t know what to do, he prayed. Let’s read about it in 2 Chronicles chapter 20, verses 5-12.
ESV
And Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, before the new court, and said, “O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you. Did you not, our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel, and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend? And they have lived in it and have built for you in it a sanctuary for your name, saying, ‘If disaster comes upon us, the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house and before you—for your name is in this house—and cry out to you in our affliction, and you will hear and save.’ And now behold, the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir, whom you would not let Israel invade when they came from the land of Egypt, and whom they avoided and did not destroy— behold, they reward us by coming to drive us out of your possession, which you have given us to inherit. O our God, will you not execute judgment on them? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”
King Jehoshaphat’s first response was to fast and seek the Lord. As he prayed, he praised God and remembered what God had done in the past. He talked about God’s goodness and promises. Jehoshaphat was also humble and knew he could do nothing without God.
In the end, God gave the people of Judah what they needed. He gave them courage, thankful hearts and even a victory over their enemies.
There will be times when you don’t know what to do. Prayer is a way to talk to God so you do not face hard things alone. Just like breathing and blinking, prayer should be something we always do. Whatever you go through, you can face it with confidence and be thankful because God is in control. He hears your prayers and will help you know what to do if you keep your eyes on Him.