“Then
the Lord said to me, ‘You have made your way around this hill country long
enough; now turn north. ‘ ” (Deuteronomy 2:2-3)
The Lord told Moses to tell the Children of Israel after they had been stuck going around the mountain instead of pursuing their journey to the Promised Land, to start moving ahead to their destination. They should have been making progress, not become stationary.
God had abandoned them to their fate because of their disobedience and stubbornness. He accused them of not having trusted “....in the Lord your God who went ahead of you on your journey, in fire by night and in a cloud by day, to search out places to camp and to show you the way you should go.” (Deuteronomy 1:32-33)
Once He had warned them not to fight against the Amorites for they would be defeated. They did not listen. ”You rebelled against the Lord’s command and in your arrogance you marched up into the hill country.” They received severe thrashing and came back in tears before the Lord. “...but the Lord paid no attention to your weeping and turned a deaf ear to you.” (Deuteronomy 1:45)
Prior to God’s deliverance of the Children of Israel, Moses had attempted but failed and had to flee to Midian country until God had prepared him to take up the mantle of deliverer. (Exodus 2:11-15) God had called him all right but had not sent him; in precipitation, he had forged ahead.
In the fullness of time.
God had told Abraham “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved for four hundred years.” (Genesis 15:13) He continued: “In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.” (Genesis 15:16) God will work His purpose out even in state matters---believe it or not. God has the final say. He enthrones and dethrones leaders, kings or emperors.
We have been watching idly by for the past twenty-two years unable to do anything against the heavy-handedness of the ex=president who has ruled this country. The lesson God wanted to teach us is this: “No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength. A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save.” (Psalm 33:16-17)
Everything that happens in this world is with God’s permission. There is nothing like accident or happenstance. Everything has a purpose. It is important that we do not lose sight of this. “It was not by [our] sword that [we] won the land; nor did [our] arm bring [us] victory; It was [God’s] right hand, [His] arm, and the light of [His] face, for [He] loved [us].” (Psalm 44:3)
Not until we Christians felt threatened and marginalized as a minority group did it occur to our leaders to bring the saints together under one banner to voice our discontent, to mobilise and defend our identity and integrity. It is not a question of ‘in unity is strength,’ but rather standing on the word of God. “If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)
Answered prayers
Prayer changes things, it does not change God. God has been waiting all these years for those “who are called by His name” to act; that is to pray so He could step in to manifest His power. Finally, God has completed what He has begun since the inception of the National Days of Prayer. He had heard the cry of those who are called by His name and we are grateful to Him for relieving us of the heavy yoke.
It behoves us therefore as Christians to give God thanks and praise for His wondrous works. Who would have thought that the ex-president of the Gambia could have been beaten through the ballot box? Much to our surprise, the God of the IMPOSSIBLE made it happen---without recourse to bloodshed.
What a mighty God we serve!
We have long been going round in circles complaining without being able to do anything about it. Like Israel’s army we have been grounded in the face of giant Goliath’s threats----until David came on the scene-.
With the help of God we have turned over an ugly page in the history of this country. For the present, the atrocities, molestations, deaths, disappearances and frustrations perpetrated during the Second Republic will haunt us for a long time to come. But God will heal our collective wounds and give us a fresh start as we embark on a new phase of our national development.
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles.” (2 Corinthians 1: 3-4)
