“The Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh (tribes of Israel) had 44,760 men ready for military service - able bodied men who could handle shield and sword, who could use a bow, and who were trained for battle. They waged war against the Hagrites, Jetur, Naphish and Nodab. They were helped in fighting them, and God handed the Hagrites and all their allies over to them, because they cried out to him during the battle. He answered their prayers, because they trusted in him” (I Chronicles 5:18-20).
The first thing that struck me about this passage was the fact these men prayed. Prayer is something that we can do no matter where we find ourselves in this life. It’s possible that these prayers occurred during moments of rage, anger, or despair. Maybe they occurred while looking up and screaming at God or quite possibly uttering a few feeble words for mercy while kneeling at an injured friend’s side. The picture here is of an intense battle between many groups of people, but in spite of this magnitude of war, in the midst of the rage around them, these men took the time to pray. This tells me that if prayer was a vital component of their battle and subsequent victory, then it should a part of each of ours as well.
The second thing about these men was the fact that they trusted God. Trust is not an easy thing to enter into, with individuals or God. It requires that we be willing to place our confidence in someone other than ourselves. I entered into a period of reconciliation with a friend many years ago. When we parted ways many years back, it was not on amicable terms. There was a time during this reconciliation period when we both struggled with one very important aspect of our newly mended friendship. When you trust someone it’s often because you have confidence in their ability to be honest and reliable, in other words you have faith in them. You display a confidence in their ability to be loyal and value their reliability to be there when you need them. In other words, they become someone that you can share things with, even deep secrets and desires that are possibly too painful to handle on your own. These men understood the value of trust and cried out to God, whom they had established, was someone they could depend on and turned to him during what was probably one of the fiercest battles of their lives. God is interested in hearing any and everything you have to say about the battles that you are facing in your life today. He wants your full trust and confidence. He is someone that can be counted on. It matters not if the words you use are filled with anger, fear, rage, or quite possibly just HELP. God will not be upset with you. He is waiting to hear your prayers, your petitions, your cries…and when you decide to trust him fully, tell him everything, even the deepest hurts you have kept hidden away, you will find, just as these warriors and I have, that God will answer you and be with you through whatever battle you find yourself in.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5). Will you trust God today?