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Series Code: TIJ
Program Code: TIJ003114S
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00:25 Our nation has changed. The hand shake is banned. Our 00:30 borders have closed. Schools are pupil free. Sport is gone and 00:36 churches are closed. Australia, New Zealand and our world have 00:41 changed, not just in the short term, but probably forever and 00:46 it's not over. There's still more to come. The coronavirus 00:51 pandemic has escalated around the world at an alarming rate. 00:56 Health care systems are reaching their breaking point as hospital 01:01 beds fill up and ventilators become as precious as gold. 01:06 No one wants to make the heartbreaking decision between 01:10 who to save and who to let die. But it's not just the pandemic 01:16 that is giving world leaders causes for concern. As non 01:20 essential services are forced to shut down and people urged 01:25 to stay at home, unemployment lines are beginning to lengthen. 01:29 Thousands of people find themselves unemployed and 01:34 uncertain about the future. As governments scramble to inject 01:39 billions of dollars into their failing economies, the world is 01:44 collectively holding its breath. Instinctively we all know that 01:48 it's no longer a question of if the global economy will go into 01:54 recession, but a question of when and how hard we'll all be 01:59 hit. In the midst of the turmoil it's so easy to give way to 02:04 despair. If this were an isolated crisis, something that 02:09 maybe one or even two countries were facing or even a single 02:14 continent or region it might not hit us so hard. But for the 02:19 first time in a very long time this is a crisis that has 02:24 touched every single part of the world. Perhaps even more heavily 02:28 than the World Wars of the last century. As we are surrounded 02:34 by sickness, suffering and death all eyes seem to be turning in 02:39 one direction, upwards. Now as never before people around the 02:44 world are asking questions they might not have asked at any 02:49 other time in their lives. Where is God in all of this? Does he 02:53 even care? Why is he allowing this to happen? And perhaps 02:58 most important of all: Can I look to him for hope and 03:02 certainty for the future? Join us this week as we look at ways 03:08 to find hope in a crisis. And what the Bible says in answer 03:13 to some of our questions. 03:16 ♪ ♪ 03:36 In the midst of a crisis like the one we are facing now, the 03:39 most heartbreaking and revealing aspects are the stories we hear 03:44 about everyday people battling the virus. Especially touching 03:49 are the stories we hear from health care professionals as 03:53 they face this disease on the front lines. A recent newspaper 03:57 article told the story of an Italian doctor working on the 04:02 front lines of this medical emergency to save lives. Her 04:07 story is both harrowing and heartbreaking offering us a rare 04:12 window into the heavy toll this pandemic is exacting on all of 04:18 us. Dr. Francesca Cortellaro is a doctor who works in Milan, 04:23 Italy at the San Carlo Borromeo Hospital. Speaking to the 04:28 Italian newspaper il Giornale Dr. Cortellaro described some of 04:34 the most poignant scenes she had witnessed on the job. 04:37 Dr. Cortellaro described the final scenes of dying patients 04:43 as they lay in their makeshift hospital beds begging her to 04:48 say goodbye to their children and grandchildren knowing that 04:53 they would never see them again. She described how to the very 04:58 end the patients are lucid sensing that they are near death 05:03 Like people who are drowning but are painfully aware of it. 05:07 Instead of dipping in and out of consciousness Cortellaro 05:11 describes how they are alert and speaking to the end. She goes 05:16 on to share a story of how she helped a dying grandmother say 05:21 goodbye to her grandchild. The elderly woman begged her to call 05:26 her granddaughter and the doctor was only too happy to comply 05:31 with the dying wish. Cortellaro pulled out her phone and made a 05:37 video call to the lady's granddaughter. After a short 05:41 careful goodbye she hung up the phone and not long after her 05:47 patient quietly passed away. It's a startling picture of the 05:53 grim reality we now face. This pandemic has brought us to our 05:59 knees. Despite medical advancement and facilities that 06:05 are far superior to anything that existed a hundred years ago 06:10 this pandemic is every inch as debilitating and devastating as 06:16 the Spanish flu epidemic that ravaged the world at the 06:20 beginning of the 20th century. As the virus spreads across the 06:24 globe governments are using desperate measures to control 06:29 the movements of their citizens. Cities and countries around the 06:34 globe have been placed in lockdown with thousands of 06:38 people forced to stay indoors. Businesses are shutting down 06:43 stores, laying off employees and some are even slipping into 06:49 bankruptcy. All in the face of a single virus. Think about it. 06:55 No one could have predicted that we would be faced with this kind 07:00 of a global crisis just six months ago and yet here we are. 07:06 As the death toll mounts world leaders are facing a sickening 07:12 choice. How many lives is the economy worth? It's a gruesome 07:17 but necessary question that global leaders and economists 07:22 are now asking. As governments tighten restrictions on movement 07:27 and try desperately to flatten the curve unemployment soars 07:32 and threatens us all with an economic disaster that is far 07:37 worse than even the great depression. As the cost of human 07:42 life is weighed against the cost of an economic recession experts 07:48 are ready to remind us that an economic calamity can take lives 07:54 too. Unemployment can lead to depression and despair. This in 08:00 turn can lead to an increase in opioid addiction, crime, domestic 08:06 violence and suicide. In fact, already some countries are 08:10 reporting an increase in domestic violence in the wake of 08:15 the nationwide lockdowns. We are living in uncertain times. 08:21 A moment in history when we are overwhelmed by uncertainty over 08:27 our lives and our livelihood. A moment in history when it 08:31 seems as though both those things are mutually exclusive, 08:35 where we cannot have both and yet we need both. It's no wonder 08:40 then that without a compass or a road map to navigate this 08:45 strange new scenario with hopes of producing a vaccine almost a 08:51 year away and a virus spiraling dangerously out of control, we 08:57 feel overwhelmed almost as though we have reached the end 09:03 of our rope. But it is just at such moments that God is able 09:08 to give us hope and comfort. It's in those moments when the 09:13 circumstances we face have knocked us to our knees, have 09:18 caused us to despair that God calls us to look up and look 09:24 for Him so we can know He is there. Come with me to the book 09:28 of II Chronicles chapter 20 as we take a look at the story of 09:33 King Jehoshaphat and how this story of crisis and victory can 09:38 give us an insight into some of the answers we're all looking 09:43 for today. Jehoshaphat was the fourth king in the southern 09:49 kingdom of Judah and ruled for about 25 years from around 872 09:55 to 848 B.C. Jehoshaphat was faithful to God and encouraged 10:01 his people to know and worship God. Our story begins with 10:07 Jehoshaphat at the pinnacle of his power. Everything seemed to 10:12 be going his way and his kingdom was prospering. 10:16 He'd made strong political alliances and he'd been 10:20 victorious on the battlefield and he was doing well for 10:25 himself and his people financially, but all this 10:29 changed in the blink of an eye. He woke up one day to bad news, 10:35 very bad news. A messenger arrived carrying the news that a 10:40 massive army had congregated against him. Like the grains of 10:46 sand on the seashore the military might of multiple 10:49 nations joined forces in a single concerted effort against 10:55 him. It was a moment of absolute chaos, a moment filled 11:00 with uncertainty as the looming pall of death and destruction 11:06 hovered over the entire kingdom. Jehoshaphat's first response was 11:11 to go on his knees before God asking for his help. 11:16 He understood the overwhelming impossibility of the situation. 11:21 There was no way his army could match the strength they were up 11:26 against. Defeat was a certainty if they chose to go it alone. 11:32 So instead he made a different choice. He chose to look to God, 11:38 to lean on him. Swallowing back his fear Jehoshaphat first went 11:45 before God alone and pled with him for wisdom to meet the 11:50 emergency he and his entire nation were facing. The task 11:56 was too great for them to handle alone. Then gathering his 12:01 subjects around him Jehoshaphat led them in prayer. But it 12:07 wasn't just any prayer. It was a prayer steeped in the promises 12:11 of God. Jehoshaphat reminded himself and his people of how 12:19 God had led them in the past and how he had promised to always 12:23 lead them if they looked to him for help. He ended the prayer 12:27 with a simple heartfelt plea: 12:44 At that moment all the subjects of his kingdom were gathered 12:49 around him and watching him. Huddled together in little 12:52 groups, men, women and children parents worried for the safety 12:58 of their children, for their future. Almost as soon as the 13:03 prayer had ended God spoke to his people and gave them words 13:08 of reassurance and comfort. Speaking through a prophet God 13:12 said this: 13:45 God then gave Jehoshaphat and the people a set of specific 13:50 instructions. They were told to wake up early the next morning 13:53 and go down against the great army that had formed against 13:58 them. So early the next morning Jehoshaphat assembled his army 14:03 and led them out to the wilderness of Tekoa. While they 14:07 were on their way Jehoshaphat encouraged the people and then 14:12 after some consultation put together a choir to lead the 14:17 army. That's right, a choir of priests and Levites. In other 14:22 words, pastors, church leaders and workers to go before the 14:26 army leading them into one of the deadliest battles they had 14:31 ever faced. And that wasn't the most interesting part of the 14:36 story. Instead of battle hymns the choir was to sing songs of 14:41 praise and thanksgiving. Picture it for a moment if you will, an 14:46 entire army of warriors marching to battle led by a group of 14:51 unarmed ministers singing praise and worship songs. 14:55 But God was on their side and when they began to sing the 15:01 Bible tells us that God ambushed their enemies. That's right. God 15:06 himself ambushed their enemies and defeated them 15:10 so that when the advance recon- naissance group of Judah came 15:15 to the rendezvous point God had told them about, they were 15:19 shocked by what they saw. Stretching out before them as 15:24 far as their eyes could see was an impromptu graveyard 15:28 littered with 15:30 the bodies of their fallen enemies. An army stretching out 15:35 as far as their eyes could see, all fallen, all defeated, and 15:41 none of Jehoshaphat's army had even lifted a finger. It was a 15:46 moment of pure unmitigated triumph, the kind that fills you 15:51 with elation and joy. They had conquered their enemies and they 15:56 hadn't even broken a sweat or chipped a nail in the process. 16:01 All because they had chosen to look to God in their moment of 16:07 trial. The story of Jehoshaphat and the army of Judah has so 16:12 many truths tucked into it, but there are three key points I 16:17 want to look at as we contemplate the overwhelming 16:20 challenge before us today. Firstly, Jehoshaphat took his 16:26 troubles to God. He understood the overwhelming reality of the 16:31 enemy he faced. He knew that he was incapable of facing that 16:36 enemy alone and he turned his heart and his eyes willingly to 16:42 God for help. As human beings it isn't easy for us to accept 16:47 defeat or weakness. It isn't easy for us to admit when we're 16:53 up against something that we can't possibly take on and beat. 16:58 Everything in us cries out to face the giant and conquer it in 17:03 our own strength. But what happens when the giant is 17:08 clearly too big for us to take down on our own. What happens 17:14 when the mountain is too steep to climb or the obstacle too 17:18 large to step around? What happens when we are brought to 17:24 our knees and we have nowhere to turn. We should take heart 17:29 knowing that we can turn to God even in the darkest moments when 17:35 it seems like hope is lost. It's important to know that there is 17:40 hope. There is a silver lining etching the dark clouds flung 17:46 across the horizon. We can always turn to God. Secondly, 17:52 Jehoshaphat looked to God's word for guidance. In a time of 17:57 crisis it's easy to make snap judgments when emotions are 18:02 running high and it seems like everything is spinning out of 18:06 control and our default position is to make a knee jerk response. 18:12 But Jehoshaphat took a deep breath and turned to God in 18:17 prayer and then he waited for God to respond and when God did 18:22 respond as he always does, Jehoshaphat chose to follow 18:28 God's instructions even though they seemed somewhat bizarre and 18:33 unusual. Today faced with a massive and unprecedented crisis 18:38 our most reliable source of guidance is the word of God. 18:43 Over and over again the Bible gives us examples of how men 18:48 and women in times past faced major crises. Embedded in each 18:53 of these stories are tips for overcoming and dealing with 18:57 overwhelming situations. When you're struggling to cope, look 19:02 to Jesus and open his word to us in the Bible. There you'll find 19:07 the hope and comfort that you need to make it through whatever 19:12 trial you face. There you'll find instruction and guidance to 19:16 weather the storm. Thirdly, Jehoshaphat went forward in 19:22 faith trusting God's promises. It would have been scary to go 19:27 forward leaning only on God's word to face an army far bigger 19:31 than his own but Jehoshaphat was willing to do it. The best part 19:37 about Jehoshaphat's story is that his faith paid off. Looking 19:42 to God for comfort and guidance Jehoshaphat found hope and 19:48 victory in this difficult time. His experience can be ours. 19:53 Sometimes we can find hope in the unlikeliest place and in the 19:58 most unconventional ways. We may not have the tools and the 20:03 wherewithal to slay the giants we face, but God does and 20:07 if we look to him we can be sure that he will lead us through 20:13 whatever lies ahead. The story of Jehoshaphat is a reminder 20:17 that even when the odds are stacked against us God can give 20:22 us hope and victory in unexpected ways. 20:26 Ecclesiastes chapter 9 and verse 11 tells us this: 20:54 In other words, as human beings we are limited in what we can 20:58 accomplish regardless of the resources we have at hand. 21:03 Ultimately we will come up against an opponent that we 21:07 can't control or defeat and when we do, as resilient as the human 21:13 spirit is it cannot bounce back without help, help that is 21:18 Divine and supernatural, help that only comes from God. 21:23 In Psalm 121 verses 1 and 2 David says this: 21:46 God never sleeps. He's always wide awake. His eyes trained on 21:53 the events that transpire around us and he's always willing to 21:58 reach out to those that turn to him. The story of Jehoshaphat is 22:04 a reminder that even when the odds are stacked against us God 22:08 can give us hope and victory in unexpected ways. As the 22:13 situation around us escalates, this is something that we need 22:17 to keep in mind and hold onto. You may feel like you're 22:22 standing on a lonely island, isolated and far removed from 22:27 everyone around you. You may be a health care worker risking 22:32 your life on the front lines of this crisis, exhausted and 22:36 struggling to cope with the overwhelming demands that are 22:41 placed on you. Or you may have a business or work in one of the 22:46 many industries that have been forced to shut down and you are 22:50 now facing unemployment and an uncertain future asking yourself 22:55 how you're going to pay your bills and put food on the table. 23:01 Or you may be an elderly citizen or part of a group that is most 23:05 vulnerable to Covid-19 and as you watch the escalating 23:10 statistics you may be fearful of what they mean to you. You may 23:16 wonder how you're going to survive this crisis. Or you may 23:20 be a parent struggling to hold down your job while still caring 23:24 for your children who are home from school wondering how you're 23:29 going to keep them safe while still making sure they don't 23:34 lose an entire year of their education. As the debates over 23:38 flattening the curve versus eradicating the virus, over 23:43 lockdowns and economic downturn rage around the world, you may 23:48 be wondering how that will impact your daily life, what 23:52 that will mean for you and your family. At a time like this we 23:59 need hope, because it's only hope that can keep us going, 24:04 only hope can get us through the dark and difficult months ahead. 24:08 Well friends I've good news for you today because Jesus offers 24:15 you hope. The enemy around you may be large and overwhelming. 24:20 The odds may be impossible. The resources and weapons you have 24:25 on hand may be meager and pathetic, but none of that is 24:29 important because the same God who gave Jehoshaphat a decisive 24:36 victory is holding out his hands to you today. In Matthew chapter 24:41 11 and verse 28, he said this: 25:03 Jesus can give you rest for your weary soul. When you wake up in 25:08 the morning pick up your Bible and read it. Find promises in 25:13 the Bible that can buoy you up and give you hope. Do that 25:17 before you read the headlines and I guarantee you that the 25:22 headlines won't seem as bleak. When you're feeling overwhelmed 25:26 by it all take a moment to pray. Cry out to God and lay what's on 25:32 your heart before him and I guarantee you his peace will 25:39 still you heart and his grace will strengthen you for the 25:42 battle ahead. In moments when you feel you can't take another 25:47 step forward, know this: God will carry you through the 25:52 trial. So look to God, open a Bible and look to him. He's 25:58 waiting to take hold of your hand and lead you safely through 26:02 whatever lies ahead. If you'd like to reach out to God and ask 26:08 him to lead and guide you, then I'd like to recommend the free 26:12 gift we have for all our Incredible Journey viewers 26:16 today. It's the Bible reading guide The Secret of Answered 26:23 Prayer. This guide is our gift to you and is absolutely free. 26:27 I guarantee there are no costs or obligations whatsoever. So 26:33 why not take this wonderful opportunity to find out more 26:37 about the hope that only God can give us. Phone or text us at 26:45 0436333555 in Australia or 0204222042 in New Zealand or 26:54 visit our website TiJ.tv to request today's free offer and 26:59 we'll send it to totally free of charge and with no obligation. 27:03 Write to us at: 27:17 Don't delay. Call or text us now 27:21 If you've enjoyed our journey to ancient Israel and our 27:28 reflections on how to find hope in a crisis, then be sure to 27:32 join us again next week when we will share another of life's 27:36 journeys together. Until then let's pray to the God who is 27:41 still in control of our planet and ask him to bless and protect 27:46 us and our families. 27:47 Dear Heavenly Father, these are difficult and challenging times. 27:53 Thank you for your promise to care for us and protect us. 27:58 Like Jehoshaphat our eyes are upon you. We need you to lead 28:04 us to victory in the battle that's raging around us. So 28:10 please bless and protect us and our families. 28:13 In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. 28:17 ♪ ♪ |
Revised 2020-07-29