The Second Guesser

"The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still."
-Exodus 14:14




I am a second guesser.  You know the type.  I analyze everything I do....I always am frightened to finish.  Start. Or continue anything.  What if it's not correct?  What if someone takes it wrong?  What if no one wants me to do it?   What if...what if.....  It goes on and on.  The thoughts circle in my head every time I am thinking about doing something, starting to do something, actually doing something. I just know it will not measure up.

There are a lot of people in the Bible who experienced this.  Moses comes to mind, when God was directing him to get his people out of slavery.  He felt inferior ...not the man for the job.  Jonah ran away from what God had for him.  And then, today in study I read about Jehosephat.

In 2 Chronicles 20, we read the story of  Jehoshaphat being attacked by the Moabites, Ammonities, and 'some' Meunites. They were completely outnumbered.  The bible said Jehoshaphat's people were up against a "vast army".  Well, had I been Jehoshaphat, that's when the panic would have set in.  Really, God?  You're kidding, right?  No chance here....I can't do this.  And those comments are just the beginning of what I would be saying.  I would think there was no chance.   But what did Jehoshaphat do? Did he run, cower, cry?  Nope.  He just stated he would inquire of the Lord and he also declared a fast .  He admitted to God he had no power in this situation.

God answered through a man named Jahiaziel.  Jehoshaphat was told in verses 16-17:

            "Tomorrow march down against them.   They will be climbing up  by the Pass of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the gorge in the Desert of Jereul.  You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid;  do not be discouraged.  Go out to face them tomorrow and the Lord will be with you."

 Later on, we read:

                "After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat 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.'
As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated.  The men of Ammon and Moab rose up against the men from Mount Seir to destroy and annihilate them.  After they finished slaughtering the men from Seir, they helped to destroy one another.  When the men of Judah came to the place that overlooks the desert and looked toward the vast army, they saw only dead bodies lying on the ground; no one had escaped. " (v 21-24)

 Wow!  My problems with struggling in service to Him or with the obstacles I face in my life don't seem like much compared to a vast army coming toward me.  Did you notice how Jehoshaphat and his men didn't have to fight at all?  God simply took care of it.   Instead of lifting his weapons, all Jehoshaphat had to do was lift his voice in praise.  God handled it from there.

In my study this morning, ( 'Gifts, the Joy of Serving God' from Willow Creek) it asked the question "What negative behaviors are you prone to when you come face-to-face with your weaknesses or your feelings of inadequacy?"  Here were the choices:
                    ____  I withdraw from others
                    ____  I want to quit
                    ____  I "power up" in my own strength
                    ____  I project a false confidence
                    ____  I get angry, frustrated, defensive
                    ____  I am overwhelmed by anxiety
                    ____  Other:

To be honest, there were three there for me, and each required triple checks on the line:  I withdraw from others, I want to quit (BIG ONE), and I am overwhelmed by anxiety.  Constantly, in any form of ministry I undertake, I go through this process regularly.  Then, when I get confirmation from God I am supposed to continue, I'm ok for a while.  Slowly, the process begins again, and I wind up checking those three statements all over again somewhere down the line.

This also applies when we are facing the mountains we all have in our lives.  The relationship problems, the sick family members, the death of a loved one.....the list goes on and on.  SO MANY things we can't handle on our own strength.  As I have studied this over the last couple of days, I keep asking myself the same question....Why do I TRY to do it on my own strength?  I know better.  He will do for me what He asks me to do.  I only have to "march down against them(v. 16)"...whatever march down looks like in the situation.  He's got it from there.

Bottom line....it's not about me.  It's about Him.  It's about His promises to use His power and His strength in any and all of my situations.  Sometimes I'm good about letting Him.  Often I'm not.  I think He wants more from me than always being a 'second guesser'.  I think he wants steadfast faith, confidence, and peace ......all things He provides when we let Him.  We don't have to second guess about that.  It's all there....I just have to march down.....

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