When You Don't Know What To Do

What do you do when you don't know what to do?

I was blessed to give the following message today at Community of Hope.

Praise is due to you, O God, in Zion,

    and to you shall vows be performed.

 O you who hear prayer,

    to you shall all flesh come.

When iniquities prevail against me,

    you atone for our transgressions.

Blessed is the one you choose and bring near,

    to dwell in your courts!

We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house,

    the holiness of your temple!

By awesome deeds you answer us with righteousness,

    O God of our salvation,

the hope of all the ends of the earth

    and of the farthest seas;

the one who by his strength established the mountains,

    being girded with might;

who stills the roaring of the seas,

    the roaring of their waves,

    the tumult of the peoples,

so that those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at your signs.

You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy.

You visit the earth and water it;[b]

    you greatly enrich it;

the river of God is full of water;

    you provide their grain,

    for so you have prepared it.

You water its furrows abundantly,

    settling its ridges,

softening it with showers,

    and blessing its growth.

You crown the year with your bounty;

    your wagon tracks overflow with abundance.

The pastures of the wilderness overflow,

    the hills gird themselves with joy,

the meadows clothe themselves with flocks,

    the valleys deck themselves with grain,

    they shout and sing together for joy.

(Psalm 65, ESV)

This is the Word of our Lord.

Thanks be to God.

You pretty much had to have been hiding under a rock and ignoring the events of the world in order to say that this has not been a tough week, don’t you think? Whose heart has not broken as you have watched the people of Ukraine be attacked by Vladimir Putin and his army?

I don’t remember my exact words but Friday evening I said something to Lisa along the lines of how incredible it has been to hear the stories of bravery and steadfastness coming out of the people of Ukraine. Have you heard some of the stories? A Ukrainian soldier sacrificed his own life in order to blow up a bridge that thwarted the advancement of Russian troops. People hunkering down and staying in place rather than fleeing.  Men who had left the country with their families later returning to fight. An 80 year old man showing up to join the army with nothing but a rifle and a small suitcase. The president of Ukraine refusing to move to a safer area but instead staying to protect the country he loves. 

Perhaps you have also seen the stories and videos of Christians in Ukraine gathering to sing hymns and praise God despite their dire circumstances. Despite the chaos and craziness that is their world and that totally envelopes them, they are singing God’s praises.

There has to be a lesson for us in all of this. I am afraid that if I found myself in a situation where my country, my city, my neighborhood was under attack from missiles, perhaps had enemy strangers walking through it pretending to be local people, I would not know what to do. I’d be in one of those situations we have all been in before where we say “I just don’t know what to do.”

And yet, in Ukraine this week we saw people under attack from the second strongest military ever to exist and they were not fleeing. They were standing for what they loved. They were standing for what they knew to be good – their homeland. They were standing in order to resist and fight evil and tyranny. 

In fact, this week, it seemed like we saw virtually the entire world standing solid in the face of evil. Is there not a single one of us who has not wondered this week what we could do that might help this horrible situation. 

We have even seen protests in Russia held by Russian citizens saying that what has happened is not right. Saying that it’s wrong to be attacking and killing innocent people who have done nothing wrong, to be destroying their homes and other structures. And Russia is not an easy place to protest. If you protest there, you will most likely be arrested and given a very unpleasant sentence, perhaps even executed. 

God is, of course, calling US to pray for the people of Ukraine. Pray that they will know what to do during this time when, no doubt, many of them are saying “I don’t know what to do.” Pray, too, that more people will turn to Jesus as their Savior during this tumultuous time.

And yet, again, I think that there is a lesson here for us. As I said, we have all had times in our lives when things were so confusing, so chaotic, so upsetting that we said “I just don’t know what to do.”  Maybe it was the loss of a job. Maybe it was a relationship falling apart. Maybe it was an addiction that had once again bound us tightly. Maybe it was a bad diagnosis from the doctor. Maybe it was a rampant pandemic virus taking over our world.  Whatever it was, we’ve all been there – “I just don’t know what to do.”

Does anyone remember what we talked about last week? We started with some TV trivia, didn’t we – where we guessed the towns where some of our favorite characters from TV lived. And then I asked us – where do you choose to live?  And I wasn’t talking about your address. I was asking about the state of mind that you choose to live in. 

The scripture I repeated several times was from the Apostle Paul -- Philippians 3, verse 20:

Our citizenship is in heaven.

Do you remember that?

Well, as we talk a bit about this question of what do you do when you don’t know what to do, I want to go a bit further in the 3rd chapter of Philippians. I will read all of verse 20 and throw in verse 21 as well.  This is from The Message.

 But there’s far more to life for us. We’re citizens of high heaven! We’re waiting the arrival of the Savior, the Master, Jesus Christ, who will transform our earthy bodies into glorious bodies like his own. He’ll make us beautiful and whole with the same powerful skill by which he is putting everything as it should be, under and around him.

As citizens of heaven, we can have a state of mind that focuses NOT on the problems of this world, that doesn’t get bogged down by the worries of this earth, but instead keeps our eye on eternity and what is already ours for all eternity.

For when you made that decision to accept Christ as your Lord and Savior, you left this world. You left this world where you need to be consumed by worry and troubles. You entered a world where Jesus is your King. You entered a world where we worry not about tomorrow but we focus on living each day for Jesus. We focus on living each day knowing that eternity is ours.  We focus on living for that time when we will sit at the feet of Jesus our Savior.

So, as citizens of heaven – Christ followers not living for today but for eternity -- what do we do when we don’t know what to do? Today, we are going to look at 3 steps to guide us through these times of confusion and difficulty.

For my first point, I think we can take a lesson from some of the things we heard from Ukraine this week.

Point 1 -- We need to focus on what is good (God), not on what is bad.  The people of Ukraine this week have focused not on the evil destruction and even death coming their way but on what they know to be good – their homeland, their families, their churches, their loved ones. And, with their focus, that is where their hearts have been.

My friends, satan uses our problems to try to distract us from Jesus. Satan knows that, when we’re focused on our problems, we can’t be praising and pursuing God. So, one of the first things we can do when we find ourselves overwhelmed and not knowing what to do is to re-establish our groundedness. Remember that no matter what happens in this world, we’re citizens of heaven already. 

Philippians 4:8 says

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.

So, I am telling us, when we have problems, don’t lose sight of God. Don’t lose sight of His promises. Satan wants nothing more than to distract you with worries and make you lose grasp of your citizenship in heaven, right? That’s what he wants to do. Don’t you let him shake you.

Someone once said, if the devil isn’t bothering you, it’s probably because you aren’t bothering him. When times are tough, rather than think about the things that you’ve already admitted you don’t know what to do about, think about the things that God has called you to. Do not focus on the problems that satan has put in your way. 

Those things God has called you to may be all kinds of things. It may be loving your neighbor and your family. It may be taking better care of yourself. It may be resisting that drink, that fix, that cigarette. It may be spending more time with God in prayer and solitude. It may be resisting the things of this world that stress you out – maybe turning off the news. It may be stepping away from a toxic friendship in your life.

As a citizen of heaven, you know the things God is calling you to. So, whatever they are, do not let the problems of this world – do not let satan – distract you from what God has called you to.

I shared this scripture last week and I’m going to share it again this week – because it’s so important and so powerful.

Hebrews 12:1-2 (NIV):

…let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,  fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

So, again, point number one for what to do when you don’t know what to do:

Focus on God – don’t let the devil and his problems distract you.

2nd Point. Don’t panic but pray, read Scripture, seek God, and follow Him. When we panic, what happens?  We lose focus, don’t we?  We make decisions that are rash and emotionally-charged – decisions that we later regret.

Philippians 4:6-7 (CEV) says

Don’t worry about anything, but pray about everything. With thankful hearts offer up your prayers and requests to God. Then, because you belong to Christ Jesus, God will bless you with peace that no one can completely understand. And this peace will control the way you think and feel.

Bring to the Lord the things that are troubling you. Ask Him – the Creator of the universe – to reveal to you His wishes for Your life, and to lead you in the ways that allow you to experience the life He has planned for you – His best for you.

Psalm 55:22, which we wrapped things up with last week, says 

Cast your cares on the Lord

And He will sustain you.

He will never let 

The righteous be shaken.  (Psalm 55:22, NIV)

These times of prayer – these times of seeking God – these times of being still and reading scripture, these are all times of great humility for us as humans. These are our times when we’re on our knees, broken and desperate, telling God, “I don’t know what to do here.”  And it is out of those times of humility and weakness in our lives that we’re the most moldable for God to do great things.

In 2nd Corinthians, Paul reminds us:

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.  (II Corinthians 12:9, NIV)

Out of the prayer, out of the listening, God will start to pull your heart in a direction and you will start to know what to do.  But we first must humble ourselves and go to Him for help.

He gives strength to the weary

And increases the power of the weak. (Isaiah 40:29, NIV)

Third point – Live with joy because God’s promise is yours.

Jeremiah 29:11 is a scripture many of you are familiar with but it’s so important to remember this during those times of great confusion that we all encounter.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Funny thing about these times when we do not know what to do – they can last awhile. God’s plan for our lives is based on eternity, not the comfort of today. You can be on God’s side – you can be pursuing His best for your life for all you’re worth -- but that doesn’t mean that everything quickly returns to a place of comfort. However, because of Jesus and His promise on your life, because you are a citizen not of this world but of heaven, you can live with joy even if your circumstances are less than joyful.

Here's part of that promise, from the prophet Isaiah:

See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up, do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.  (Isaiah 43:19, NIV)

So, we can live with joy, knowing God’s promise that He is doing a new thing – both in your life and in the world.

I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.(Philippians 3:14, NIV)

My friends, there’s a very cool thing about living with joy. When you live with joy, you have a positive impact on the lives of others. And that is never a bad thing to come from our own troubles, is it?

Here’s what Romans 12:10-13 says that I think is a great reminder for us at all times:

Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

When we live with joy, assured of God’s promise on our life when we accepted Him as our Savior, we have the ability of changing the world for others by bringing His hope and light to them as well.

Before we close, let’s review the three points to guide us during those times in life when we don’t know what to do.

1)   Focus on what is good (God), not on the problems Satan is trying to use to distract you.

2)   Don’t panic but pray, read Scripture, seek God, and follow Him.

3)   Live with joy because God’s promise is yours.

My friends, go forth this week, knowing that God’s promise is on you and your life. And, because of that, you can live for Him with assurance and joy, even during those times when you don’t know what to do.

Pray for Ukraine, pray for the world.

Let us pray.