Good Morning,

Sorry for the somber salutation. I’m suffering through a very painful moment in my life right now, and my transparency wouldn’t allow the usual “Happy Wednesday!” I guess that’s the biggest challenge with daily blogging. Those days when you just don’t feel like trying to inspire everyone else, because you feel so uninspired yourself.

I just couldn’t shake it!

Believe me, I tried to fake a smiley face several times this morning, but it didn’t feel authentic. Please don’t run away in search of another happier blogger. (smile) This is a very rare thing for me. Usually, I’m able to shake off anything life dishes out, or at least I’m able to keep my personal pains suppressed long enough to make it through a blog. Just couldn’t do either of those things today. I hope to be on the other side of this fleeting slump very soon-and back to my regular happy, playful self.

Every once in while, opposition forces rush in so intensely they almost wipe me out. Yes, even the mighty Chuckster here! (a look of surprise) Last night was one of those moments for Emily and I. We became more than overwhelmed with some of our recent challenges, and I haven’t been able to shake the lingering discouragement yet.

What can a person do?

What can a person do, when they’ve done all they know to do… even all the same things they’ve done to successfully break through in the past… and none of those things even come close to bringing relief?

When this happens, we should do the only thing we can do in times like this. In faith, we should plant our feet on the solid rock of our salvation-and trust God all the way, even when we cannot make sense out of the things he is doing, or NOT doing in our lives. Bishop TD Jakes says it like this: “You gotta trust Him, even when you cannot trace him!”

In times like these, we should crawl down into the secret place (psalm 91), and pray. Sometimes, we don’t even have words… just groans and tears. The key here is to draw near to God and resist the temptation to draw away from Him!

The Prayer of Jehoshophat!

Real men quickly admit their utter dependance on God. This is not a sign of weakness, but strength! The best leaders are the leaders who know how to admit the limits of their own power… the ones that cling to the Lord until they’re safely out of harms way.

2 Chronicles 20:10-12 “But now here are men from Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, whose territory you would not allow Israel to invade when they came from Egypt; so they turned away from them and did not destroy them. 11 See how they are repaying us by coming to drive us out of the possession you gave us as an inheritance. 12 O our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you.”

Israel had spared all of these nations in the past-when they had the perfect opportunity for annihilating them. And now these same nations Israel had given MERCY, were surrounding her like a violent pack of rabid wolves. This kind of thing happens in real life every once in a while.

And King Jehoshophat refused to face this impossible situation in HIS OWN STRENGTH. He resisted the temptation to act like a stud.

Instead, this legendary King fell on his face in front of the entire nation… and he prayed, “Dear God… will you not judge them? For we have NO POWER to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you!”

We should learn to handle our dead ends just like King Jehoshophat handled his! When we face days and circumstances too dismal for words, we should fall on our faces and bellow out the PRAYER OF JEHOSHOPHAT: “Dear God… will you not judge them (or will you not stop them)? For we have NO POWER to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you!”

So thats what we do! And no, I don’t really “FEEL” a whole lot better now than I did when I first started writing this message… but I “KNOW” that this course of action I have chosen today will inevitably lead to my victory… because it ALWAYS DOES! And the same goes for all you guys and gals!

The Prayer of Jehoshophat: “Dear God… will you not judge them? For we have NO POWER to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you!”