Boxed In!
"O our God, will You not judge [our enemies]? For we have no
power against this great multitude that is coming against us;
nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You."
2 Chronicles 20: 12
A classic set-up in old-time cowboy movies was to have the good
guys be chased into a box canyon by the bad guys—steep canyon
walls on three sides and no way out. It’s where the saying “He was
boxed in!” originates. Of course, in the movies the good
guys
always find a way to escape and
survive.
On more than one occasion in the Old Testament, a king of Israel
or Judah felt boxed in by surrounding armies. Vastly outnumbered,
slaughter was inevitable. In such cases, when human alternatives
had been exhausted—the kings would turn to the King of Heaven
in prayer.
King Jehoshaphat did just that when Jerusalem was surrounded
by three enemy armies. Read his prayer in 2 Chronicles 20:5-12.
But his last words are those which we should take to heart: “Nor
do we know what
to do, but our eyes are upon You.”
When you find yourself boxed in by life,
do what the kings did: Pray and ask God
for His solution and deliverance.
"When I pray, coincidences happen,
and when I don’t, they don’t."
William Temple
