I was privileged to listen to one of my mentors speak briefly about the 5 Goliath’s we are faced with in the present times we live in as individuals, families and the nations and it reminds me of the 3 nations that rose against Jehoshaphat the king of Judah and His subjects in 2 Chronicles 20. Interestingly, I have had to spend about 3 weeks on this write-up because several things I did not ask for kept popping up the moment I started putting my thoughts together for this piece.
The 5 Goliath’s I heard my mentor mention are: Poverty, illiteracy, pandemics, spiritual emptiness and bad governance. Looking at these five unwanted stuffs that have decided to disturb the nations, it will be right to say that at least one or more of these stuffs affects every nation of the world in one way or the other.
I compare these five things to the battle that rose against Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah because none of us requested for these giants that have decided to war against the nations just as Jehoshaphat did not go asking for the battle that came after him, yet some people formed alliance and came against him and the people of Judah.
“THAT YOU DID NOT ASK FOR A BATTLE DOES NOT MEAN YOU WILL NOT GET ONE. BE PREPARED AT ALL TIMES.”
THESOULMEAL.COM
The several things that hit the nations of the world this year are not things we called forth or invited into our lands, neither did we make plans for these things to happen, yet it did not stop them from striking the nations. It ranges from the Covid- 19 pandemic that hit every nation, to the Black Lives Matter protest that started in North America and by extension many other nations, The ENDSARS protest in West Africa- Nigeria, which became a protest that went beyond the shores of West Africa, as we watched other continents join in the protest, the persecution of Christians in China which brought about the threat of the Government, requesting that people renounce their faith in Christ so they can have access to the welfare packages that the government provided during the outbreak of the pandemic, let me also mention the complex fires in California, China floods, just to mention but a few.
All these things can be called the battles that chose the nations without the nations sending them an invite. As the battle raged there were various announcers of these battles and they include the media, the government and several other organisations, who delivered these messages in ways that brought panic and anxiety to the heart of many people. interestingly, King Jehoshaphat also had such announcers.
2 Chronicles 20:1-2
“It happened after this that the people of Moab with the people of Ammon, and others with them besides the Ammonites, came to battle against Jehoshaphat. 2 Then some came and told Jehoshaphat, saying, “A great multitude is coming against you from beyond the sea, from Syria; and they are in Hazazon Tamar” (which is En Gedi).”
I understand that so much has happened this year and truth be told, it is the most eventful year I have ever experienced as an individual, yet there is nothing we can do to change what has been and for what is to come, there is a need to understand that as humans there is a right posture that we can use to confront the supposed “battles that come after us uninvited.”
BASIC RIGHT POSTURES
- LISTEN CAREFULLY TO THE DETAILS OF THE CHALLENGE : Jehoshaphat did not silence the carriers of the news of the war that was planned against his territory, rather he listened to the details and acted on them. He had an idea of those who were coming against him, where they were coming from and where they were at the time of the news. This helped him to fully understand the right posture to take which was the posture of prayer, knowing fully well that he had no time to prepare for war against such number of people. Just as all that has come upon the nations seem overwhelming, it is right to say that prayer is one of the right posture to take at such a time as this, yet there is a need for us to pay attention to the details of what we are confronted with, so we can know how to act as matters arise.
2. UNDERSTAND THAT ANXIETY AND FEAR ARE NATURAL EMOTIONS THAT REQUIRE THE RIGHT RESPONSE: Several times in the Bible, when the angel of the first announcement made by the angel is usually “fear not” which implies that it is only natural to be afraid when when you come face to face with supernatural beings or overwhelming situations. Funny enough, the announcement of the angel usually comes after the person has beheld the angel and has gotten into the fear mode. This explains how that the message “fear not” is usually to help a person respond to natural emotions like fear and anxiety in the right way, which is to take the focus off the scary thing or situation and focus on what is capable of driving out such fear. In Jehoshaphat’s case, he simply responded to his fear by choosing to seek God for help. How do you respond to the natural emotions that you are constantly faced with, talking about fear, anxiety, anger, disgust, shame, etc? Not so well sometimes right? I guess you are probably as guilty as I am in this regard.
3. SURROUND YOURSELF WITH THE RIGHT COMPANY: We all get to that point in life where what we are confronted with looks like it is more than we can bear and at such times, we might be too weak to pray , fast, or seek God as we should. On the other hand, what we are confronted with might actually be such that requires others joining us in seeking God because they are also affected by the same thing one way or the other. If the people we are surrounded with are nonchalant, insensitive, unwilling and unsupportive, it might weaken our heart and keep us in the fear zone, except we receive the grace to strengthen ourselves in the Lord like King David did in 1 Samuel 30:6
4. KNOW WHO GOD IS AND WHAT HE SAID CONCERNING THE SITUATION OR SIMILAR ONES ( 2 Chronicles 20:5-12): looking at Jehoshaphat’s response in the place of prayer, he was not someone who did not have an idea of who God is, what God has done regarding similar situations in times past, as well as God’s promise to save and deliver when such situations arise. Your knowledge of God is important not just when all is well but when everything around you looks scary and frightening. The more of God you know, the more you can relax, knowing that He’s got your back in every situation. God’s Word is a good place to build up your knowledge of Him. His Word, not the word of men is capable of doing the impossible, including winning a battle against 3 strong nations like in the case of Jehoshaphat and the children of Judah, pandemics, poverty, bad governance, spiritual emptiness and all sorts of natural disasters.
5. LISTEN AND PAY ATTENTION TO INSTRUCTIONS: There is nothing as terrible as not knowing what to do in any given situation. The beautiful thing about God is that He is never in a panic mode no matter how bad things may seem, He already knows the right response to every situation ahead of time, this explains how He can be trusted and His instructions are to be followed duly. Sometimes however, His instructions might appear to be unreasonable, like in the case of Jehoshaphat and the children of Judah when God asked them to do the unthinkable- “Stand still and see the salvation of the LORD.” 2 Chronicles 20:17.
How in the world will three nations come against one nation and all that is gotten as an instruction from God to that “one nation” that is about to be attacked is that they should not prepare for the war with physical weapons , rather that they should praise their way into victory. Who goes to war singing and worshiping and not making use of physical weapons of war instead? God does and He had declared that the war was His, which means He was going to fight without the involvement of any man. True to His Words, He fought and won the battle just as He had said.
That the battle rages terribly does not mean it is capable of triumphing over our God. There is nothing greater than our God. He always wins, regardless of the gravity of whatever stands against Him and His children. If the battle decides to choose you, relax and seek the One who is able to win without stress.
In the midst of all that has come upon the nations, families and individuals, God is definitely at work and His desire is to see that you walk in the knowledge of His capability, knowing that He is not just some weak god but “The Big God” who rules over all things and gives victory to His own at all times. Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord in the nations as He defends us from all that has risen against us despite the fact that we did not invite them.
It shall end in praise.
Author Profile
- Temitope is the founder of thesoulmeal.com, an online platform that she shares with her God-given spiritual family and friends. She is a speaker, teacher and youth counselor. She is passionate about inspiring people to find their identity in Christ. Catch her interviewing inspiring leaders on Tongue of the Learned Podcast
Latest Posts
Growing In ChristMay 10, 2021Pay Attention To This Season
FaithJanuary 26, 2021His Word, My Hope.
FaithJanuary 14, 2021Caught In The Web Of The Devil’s Lie?
FaithJanuary 5, 2021Look Beyond The Package
It shall truly end in praise by the grace of God for they that do know their God shall be strong & do exploits.