UNEXPECTED WARS

Sunday: 20th October, 2019

Exodus 17:9 Moses said to Joshua, “Pick out some men to go and fight the Amalekites tomorrow. I will stand on top of the hill holding the stick that God told me to carry.”

Sometimes, one can be put on the spot: While unprepared, a task demanding immediate result can be assigned unexpectedly. If such a task is relatively simple and straightforward, one might do it although with some groaning. But, in an episode as that described in today’s text, it was a really short notice unless preparation had been done way ahead of time.

This was an order to go into war and as Jesus said ‘NO king preparing to go into battle does not first sit down to assess his options’. I am sure that assessment would require more than a day. Thus, the order given to Joshua- ‘take some men and go to war tomorrow against the Amalekites’ was not one to be taken lightly, not under the prevailing circumstances.

I couldn’t speak for you, but in Joshua’s shoes, a rather obvious answer would be ‘Pardon me Sir, but we are not prepared for war!’ Nonetheless, we hear none of that. In the case presented, backing out and stepping back was not on the table – it was defend yourself or get wiped out because the Amalekites had not showed up to play- they came for war.

My dear, while one may prefer to be trained, prepped and set for a task, however unprepared we are, we sometimes face situations from which running away is not tabled as one of the options. We may be required to step up and lead, guide, to learn or even to fight.

You will not always be prepared for everything, but you can achieve victory when God stands with you.

#sly