Our texts of devotion are taken from the book of 1 CHRONICLES 5:14-22, and it reads:

[14] These are the children of Abihail the son of Huri, the son of Jaroah, the son of Gilead, the son of Michael, the son of Jeshishai, the son of Jahdo, the son of Buz;

[15] Ahi the son of Abdiel, the son of Guni, chief of the house of their fathers.

[16] And they dwelt in Gilead in Bashan, and in her towns, and in all the suburbs of Sharon, upon their borders.

[17] All these were reckoned by genealogies in the days of Jotham king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam king of Israel.

[18] The sons of Reuben, and the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh, of valiant men, men able to bear buckler and sword, and to shoot with bow, and skilful in war, were four and forty thousand seven hundred and threescore, that went out to the war.

[19] And they made war with the Hagarites, with Jetur, and Nephish, and Nodab.

[20] And they were helped against them, and the Hagarites were delivered into their hand, and all that were with them: for they cried to God in the battle, and he was intreated of them; because they put their trust in him.

[21] And they took away their cattle; of their camels fifty thousand, and of sheep two hundred and fifty thousand, and of asses two thousand, and of men an hundred thousand.

[22] For there fell down many slain, because the war was of God. And they dwelt in their steads until the captivity.

MESSAGE

In Bits & Pieces, January 9, 1992, we find this story: “When Jan Paderewski was to leave his native Poland to play his first recital in London, he asked an influential compatriot to give him a letter of introduction to a leading figure in Britain’s musical world, who might be of assistance should anything go amiss. The letter was handed to him in a  sealed envelope. He hoped that everything  would proceed smoothly and he would not have to use it. He did not; his debut was a success, and no snags developed. Some years later, while going through his papers, he came upon the letter and opened it. It read: “This will introduce Jan Paderewski, who plays the piano, for which he demonstrates no conspicuous  talent.” If Jan had depended on the introduction letter, he would have failed.

In a sense, life is a battlefield where contending ideas and forces compete for supremacy. What we often rely on for victory, is hardly enough to give us an edge, except we enlist the support of God. In our text, we see how the sons of Reuben, the Gadites and the half tribe of Manasseh mobilized a large body of “valiant men” (44,760 in number), armed with the best weapons of the age – “buckler and sword” and bows and arrows. However, though they prevailed, it was not because of  their valor, weapons, tactics or numbers. They only prevailed with divine  help – “they were helped against …the Hagarites (who) were delivered  into their hand.”

We should prepare for battle every day because the devil never ceases  to wage war against believers. Furthermore, the war was against familiar  foes, in this instance descendants of Ishmael, the half-brother of Isaac by the bondwoman, Hagar. Similarly, believers are in unending conflict  with Satan because he envies us for enjoying the privilege that he lost forever. He is, therefore, committed, albeit vainly, to our destruction. Believers must be watchful and prayerful to avoid being ambushed  by the adversary. In addition, we must seek divine intervention  in all situations. In our passage, divine help came after “they cried to God in the battle.” We should not wait for the battle to intensify  before we cry to the Lord but pray without ceasing before, during and after the battle. We also give thanks and praises after victory is won. Those who put all  their trust in the Lord and make Him their refuge  and strength cannot be defeated in battle.