Category: Old Testament

Position Yourself

~ Sowmya Gali

2 Chronicles 20: 17

You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.

King Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, found himself and his kingdom surrounded by not one enemy but three. Word came to him that a great multitude is coming against him. Fear gripped him and not knowing what else to do, he turned to the Lord. In the past, God rescued him from battles. He had been a righteous king for the nation of Judah. He followed God faithfully and did everything just as King David (2 Chronicles 17: 3). He tore down the high places of Baal (2 Chronicles 17: 6).

Additionally, he appointed teachers to teach the Word of God in all Judah. Together with some priests, they traveled all through Judah teaching the commandments of the Lord from the Book of the Law (2 Chronicles 17: 7-9). Jehoshaphat understood that the people were ignorant of the Law of God, because his forefathers strayed away from the Lord. Because of lack of righteous kings before him, the people of Judah were unaware of the Law of God. Jehoshaphat was wise enough to first educate people in the Law of God so the people would return to righteous ways. He appointed righteous judges in each city of Judah to render righteous judgment (2 Chronicles 19: 5-6). The surrounding nations were in dread because of God’s hand on Jehoshaphat and Judah. Instead of waging war, they brought in tribute. Despite his misstep of befriending wicked Ahab, the king of Israel, he sought the Lord’s counsel, and the Lord was with him.

When three enemies surrounded him, Jehoshaphat declared a fast throughout all Judah to seek help from the Lord. When all Judah assembled before the temple in Jerusalem, King Jehoshaphat praised the Lord Almighty for His faithfulness in protecting His people. The Spirit of the Lord came upon a man named Jahaziel, who declared that the battle is not his but God’s. He also commanded that the king and the people of Judah to not be afraid or dismayed. He declared that God will fight this battle on their behalf.

However, God commands the king and the people to prepare themselves for the battle the next day, position themselves, stand firm and see the salvation of the Lord. When they heard this, the king and the people of Judah bowed and worshipped the Lord. The following day, the Levites encouraged the king furthermore to trust in the Lord. He consulted with them and appointed singers to sing praises to the Lord. He positioned these singers in front of the army. As they walked towards the battle, the singers praised the Lord saying, “Give thanks to the Lord, for His lovingkindness is everlasting.”

Our faithful God set ambushes against the enemies of Judah, causing to fight amongst themselves and destroy each other completely. As the people of Judah approached the lookout, only corpses of soldiers were found and none escaped. The defeat of the enemy was complete. Jehoshaphat and his people went back to Jerusalem with the spoils of war and joy in their hearts. Because of such display of the power of God, the surrounding nations were in terror knowing that the God of Judah is fighting their battles. King Jehoshaphat remained faithful to the Lord all the days of his life.

King Jehoshaphat worshipped God and sought His counsel in every aspect. When trouble was brewing nearby, without seeking counsel from anyone, he sought the Lord’s counsel. When fear gripped him, he fell into God’s strong arms. His position before the Lord was righteous. Though weak, he found strength in the Lord. How are we positioning ourselves in our lives today? Do we have a righteous standing before the Lord? Do we run to God when trouble is nearby? Do we seek Lord’s counsel when we are at the crossroads?

Whatever type of enemy we face today, whether family, health, financial, mental or spiritual, whose counsel do we seek? With treacherous mountains looming above us, do we rest knowing that our Lord walks before us and behind us? Have we positioned ourselves before Him so we could see our Lord fighting our battles for us? Are we praising and worshipping the Lord despite our troubled circumstances? Praise + Worship = Victory. Are we able to apply this formula in our walk of faith?

Dearly beloved, may the Spirit of God assure your troubled heart this day and this very hour to not be afraid nor dismayed, but stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. When you find yourself at the crossroads, unable to find the path that God has set before you, run to the One who willed that path for you. Position yourself as a praising vessel before the Lord. Position yourself as a seeker of God and His counsel in every aspect of your life. Position yourself as a witness of God’s goodness and faithfulness. When you find yourself on the lookout, you will see a completely defeated enemy. All you have to do is walk into the blessings of God that will be too numerous to count.

Honor Your Parents

~ Sowmya Gali

Exodus 20: 12

Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the Lord your God gives you.

This is the only commandment that comes with a promise. We didn’t just show up on this planet at this particular time. God chose a man and a woman to bring us forth. We are here because of our parents. We had no choice of who our parents were going to be as the All-Knowing God made that choice for us. Many are blessed with loving parents while many have no parents or have/had tough ones.

When we were babies and toddlers, our world was our parents. The delight of seeing them, being held close, smelling them and just being in their presence brought us immense joy and comfort. From about four till ten years, our parents were our super heroes. They were our joy-givers, toy-fixers, hurt-pacifiers, tear-wipers, and magic-performers. As we inched into our teen years, we began contending with them over trivial things. We began to think they are not smart enough for our generation and that we knew more than them. Come late teens and young adults, we concluded that we don’t need our parents any more. Definitely, we didn’t want them to make decisions for us, albeit we wanted their approval for all our choices and decisions.

As we became adults and started raising our own families, we begin to compare ourselves to our parents. We are who we are today because of our parents. Whether positive or negative, we have been shaped predominantly by our parents. When we have to make a decision, we wonder if our parents would agree. When we accomplish something, we wonder if our parents would be proud of us. Anything we do or think, our initial thoughts run towards our parents. It matters to us immensely that our parents are proud of us, approve of our decisions, and applaud and brag about our accomplishments. We place them on a pedestal that is highly esteemed. When it matters so much about what our parents think of us, why then don’t we give them the respect they deserve? We are eager for our boss’s approval, search for a teacher’s nod and appreciation of several others under whose authority we live our lives. We honor and respect them. However, when it comes to our parents, it must matter even more.

In the process, we fail to realize that our parents are also humans and are prone to making mistakes. Since we used to esteem them highly, we assume that they cannot make a mistake. One mistake or one unkind word shatters our faith in them. We say we forgive them for all the hurt they caused us but fail to forget. We dwell on those bitter moments far too long, share with anyone who is willing to listen and sympathize with us and prolong the misery. In doing so, we slowly erode the love, respect and honor we have for our parents with our own bitterness. Even when they are kind to us, and trying to help us, we tend to shun them. On the contrary, we assume they carry an agenda every time they speak lovingly to us.

The Bible clearly commands us to honor our parents so we may be blessed and live a long life. Are we honoring and respecting our parents superficially or with all our hearts? Is it so difficult to not only forgive but also forget every hurtful thing they might have inflicted on us? More often we are willing to forgive and forget others’ mistakes but not those who are closest to us, especially of our parents. We carry that burden for several years, allowing that hurt to gnaw on us, both mentally and spiritually. We go through life doing all the right things, being busy with God’s work, ministering and living godly lives. We seem to be running on a treadmill not prospering neither spiritually nor socially.

What we fail to recognize is there might be a particular sin in our lives that still lingers! We have failed to forgive and forget the mistakes our parents have committed towards us. Thereby, we have failed to honor them with the love and respect that they deserve. If we fail to love and honor our parents, we will certainly fail to love and honor God. The Bible warns us that we will be cursed if we fail to honor our parents. (Cursed is he who dishonors his father or mother. Deuteronomy 27: 16) Jesus warned His followers in Matthew 15: 4 – “For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and, ‘He who speaks evil of father or mother is to be put to death.’

Our parents sacrificed much to bring us up, kept us in comfort, provided food, clothing and shelter, best education that they could afford, taught us spiritual and moral values and much more. Our Heavenly Father sacrificed His only Son Jesus Christ on the cross, so we could eternally be with Him in His glory, and under His protection. We would be free from sin and shame, and enjoy every blessing that comes with obedience in this life and the next. What more parallelism do we need to understand this very important commandment!

If in life we are not progressing, discontented with life, wondering where we are heading, disgruntled over little issues, and not really enjoying God’s goodness and blessings, then we must consider this sin that may persist in our lives. We must seek God’s forgiveness as well as our parents’ if they are still living before it is too late. We must seek God’s help to forget as well. We must teach ourselves to love and honor our parents. Consider this: What if God gave us parents to test our devotion towards Him? If we could love and honor them with all our hearts who are physically in front of us, then we will love and honor an omnipresent God as well. Failing to do so, we have broken the greatest commandment of all.

Dearly beloved, let us seek the Holy Spirit’s help to give us the changed heart and strength to forgive and forget our parents’ mistakes. Let us learn to love and honor them with all our hearts for it is pleasing to God. Despite their failures, we must persist in loving and honoring them all the days of their lives. In doing so, we will be blessed. In doing so, our days will be prolonged. In doing so, we are setting a good example to the next generations. And in doing so, we are honoring God.