Brother Gary Wednesday Evening 12/19/12

Brother Gary Wednesday Evening 12/19/12

Joe 3:14  Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.

Between Sunday night and tonight, many have found themselves in the valley of decision.  The valley of decision and the valley of Jehoshaphat are the same. 

In the valley that Jehoshaphat and the children of Israel found themselves, they were faced with a great battle.  In their eyes, the enemy was bigger and stronger.  In this valley, King Jehoshaphat had wisdom enough to fear. 

We live in a day where people are without any of the fear of God.  Before people will get right with God they need the fear of God.  When people come into the valley of decision, one of the characteristics that they will manifest is that they will awaken to the reality that there is something to be concerned about.  Today people in America are awaking to the fact that they as individuals need to be concerned about things.

Jehoshaphat himself began to seek God. 

The design of the valley of decision is to bring people into the place of seeking God.  When your sons or daughters ask you to pray you are thrilled.  I am not taking away from that.  I think that God wants you and me to realize that asking for prayer is good, but we need to pray that they come into the valley of decision.  Here God is near and they may come under the fear of God and will begin themselves to seek God.

After Jehoshaphat began to seek God then he asked for an agreement in prayer in seeking God. 

Isn’t that beautiful?  It is a wonderful thing when we feel the pronounced need in divine intervention so strong that we are seeking God in the secret closet on our knees and God meets us there.  God met with me in the secret hallway today and He met with you in the secret closet today and that is scripturally sound.  The other step is where we see that Jehoshaphat and the multitudes were all there before God and the King asked for an agreement of prayer.

An agreement of prayer is where two or more are in such an agreement and harmony that it sounds in heaven as an orchestra being directed and bringing up such beautiful music that causes the heavens to listen to what is coming up. 

This causes us to say, “God we don’t want any agenda or idea that will be detrimental to the agreement.”

Jehoshaphat prayed in the house of God.

2Ch 20:5  And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the LORD, before the new court,

2Ch 20:6  And said, O LORD God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven? and rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen? and in thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee?

2Ch 20:7  Art not thou our God, who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and gavest it to the seed of Abraham thy friend for ever?

There is a God in heaven.  People acting as if there is not does not change things.  Time and time again God has sent intervention on our behalf. 

2Ch 20:8  And they dwelt therein, and have built thee a sanctuary therein for thy name, saying,

2Ch 20:9  If, when evil cometh upon us, as the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we stand before this house, and in thy presence, (for thy name is in this house,) and cry unto thee in our affliction, then thou wilt hear and help.

2Ch 20:10  And now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moab and mount Seir, whom thou wouldest not let Israel invade, when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them, and destroyed them not;

2Ch 20:11  Behold, I say, how they reward us, to come to cast us out of thy possession, which thou hast given us to inherit.

2Ch 20:12  O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee.

“Will you not come to our rescue again?  I can do nothing in myself.  I have reached the place where I am not going to coach you.  We don’t know what to do.” 

Isn’t it wonderful when you can be before God and say, “God there is all of this and we can do nothing about it.  We are so concerned and we don’t know what to do.” 

We don’t know what to do, but our eyes are upon thee.

 

2Ch 20:13  And all Judah stood before the LORD, with their little ones, their wives, and their children.

2Ch 20:14  Then upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, came the Spirit of the LORD in the midst of the congregation;

2Ch 20:15  And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's.

2Ch 20:16  To morrow go ye down against them: behold, they come up by the cliff of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the end of the brook, before the wilderness of Jeruel.

2Ch 20:17  Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the LORD will be with you.

2Ch 20:18  And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the LORD, worshipping the LORD.

God is very near.  He is very near in the valley of decision.  After God so marvelously heard the prayer and the agreement of prayer and so marvelously gave the word from Asaph.  They went and had a good night’s rest and got up the next morning and the king said:

2Ch 20:20  And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.

2Ch 20:21  And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever.

2Ch 20:22  And when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten.

God has a way of taking care of what you realize that you cannot handle. 

Joe 3:14  Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.

It is a privilege to go into that closet.  When I can, I practice kneeling before God in the closet prayer.  It seems like there are times in agreement of prayer when we need to be as Jehoshaphat was and the little ones, standing together in agreement of prayer. 

It is a privilege to agree in prayer as a symphony of instruments playing in beautiful harmony.

May God bless His people in the secret closet prayer and may God bless His people in agreement of prayer.