I’m encouraged by the people of Judah’s Faith. When they were under attack from the Moabite, and Ammonite armies. In the face of this great army, they said “we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you” (2 Chronicles 20:12). Focus on God as a way of armoring yourself for battle against the enemy.
They did not deny the magnitude of the army that was attacking them, they did not hide their vulnerability but they focused on neither of these. Their focus was on God. They stood before the Lord, even with their little ones. As they stood thus, the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel and spoke “Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s” (2 Chronicle 20:15). They went on to receive instructions from the Lord and these instructions became their winning strategy. They focused on the Lord and encouraged their little ones to do the same.
Today we are living in what has come to become “unprecedented times”, because of the pervasiveness of the Pandemic in our space. The World inundated with facts, figures, trends, and statistics about Covid-19. We risk suffering from extreme information overload. The cumulative effect of this sensory overload is stress and anxiety, which prevents us from doing the things we need to get done. We risk being a distracted lot. A lot of attention has been given to the virus, to the point it has appears to be winning.
Can we change the narrative from being an endangered vulnerable species to being a victorious people?
Yes, we can! The changing of a narrative begins with a change of focus. Our narrative begins to change when we become like the people of Judah. We have to make a conscious choice to shift our focus. Move from the magnitude of this army and from our vulnerability to God. Our narrative changes when in the midst of everything. We, and our little ones, choose to stand firm before the Lord. Responding attentively and in readiness to act on His instruction.
Yes, this virus may be before us like a vast army attacking us. Yes, we may not know what to do, but let’s keep our eyes on God. When we focus on Him, listening to His Word we are not afraid, neither are we dismayed by the magnitude of this virus, for we surrender all to God.