In the book of 1 Kings, King Ahab of Israel defeated Ben-Hadad, king of Aram, with a few junior officers. Afterward, the prophet came to the king of Israel and said, “Strengthen your position and see what must be done, because next spring the king of Aram will attack you again” (20:22).
I believe all of us at Compassion, along with the awesome sponsors, have in one way or another experienced moments of victory and great achievements just like King Ahab. And yet as he was caught up in the celebrations, the prophet said, “Strengthen your position and see what must be done.”
Although it is good for us to celebrate achievements and acknowledge God’s hand of blessing, we must stay focused on our mission and continually strengthen our position. Otherwise, we could lose it all.
Our position in Christ Jesus and in the ministry must be strengthened because the enemy will attack again. The Amplified Bible says, “Go, fortify yourself and become strong and give attention to what you must do.” The Contemporary Bible puts it this way: “Benhadad will attack you again next spring. Build up your troops and make sure you have some good plans.”
Whatever you have overcome — emotionally, psychologically or physically — may attack again. What goes around comes around. Strengthen yourself, know what must be done and do it.
As we take our ministry to the neediest of the needy, pursuing the Great Commission in the world’s most difficult places, we will always encounter challenges, foreign foods, delayed flights, diverse cultures, misperceptions, difficult people, hurting and broken people, and know-it-all people.
Let’s fortify ourselves, become strong, and know what must be done.
Afterward, the prophet came to the king of Israel and said, “Strengthen your position and see what must be done, because next spring the king of Aram will attack you again.” —1 Kings 20:22, NIV
Prayer: Lord, help us to fortify ourselves and become strong in such times. Let Your strength be made perfect in our weakness. Make us a source of strength to all around us as we live for You daily. In Jesus’ name, amen.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Emmanuel Namurinda is Program Evaluation and Research Specialist in our Rwandan office.
Read all the One in Spirit devotionals.