What To Do When You Don't Know What To Do

What To Do When You Don’t Know What To Do

There is always something you can do, even when you don't know what to do.

Have you ever faced a challenging problem that you did not know what to do anymore?

Google couldn’t help you,

Insurance couldn’t help you,

Nothing…

In 2 Chronicles 20:12, King Jehosaphat felt the same way. Three armies were coming up against him and his kingdom. Realizing his inability to defeat them, he said, “Oh God…we don’t know what to do.”

Fast forwarding, by the end of the chapter, Jehosaphat triumphs. The pity party turns into a victory parade.

This begs the question, in the face of a seemingly insurmountable problem, what did King Jehosophat end up doing, and in turn, what should we do?

Here it is seven action steps…

When Jehosaphat learned of his problem, his first action step was an internal one. He made a personal decision to practice total dependence on God (20:3).

His second step is that he harnessed the power of communal fasting and prayer. He reached out to everyone affected by the problem and asked them to fast and pray. Similarly, call 2-3 trusted friends and ask them to join you in prayer when you don’t know what to do.

His third step is that he bolstered his faith by reminding himself, the people, and God of who God was and what God had done. Similarly, when you don’t know what to do, find faith boosters (e.g., reading the Word, listening to sermons, etc.) to remain encouraged.

His fourth step is that he appealed to the promises and covenants of God as he made his requests. Similarly, when you don’t know what to do, find the promises of God in scripture that pertain to your situation and appeal to them as you pray.

After he had done this, his fifth step was that he waited for a word from God. After you have prayed, practice the discipline of spiritual waiting. Allow God to intervene in his way and time.

Once the King received the word from God, he engaged in worship. Put differently; his sixth step is that he chose to praise God in advance. This is what you should do as well. Praise God for the answer that you haven’t even seen yet.