Imagine there was a battle raging between you and the enemy’s camp. You had spent months getting ready for this battle – you trained your men, bought ammunition,  spent sleepless nights, strategized and eventually came out to fight the next day. Then, at night, you heard an instruction from your superior that all your training is unnecessary. That you need to keep down your weapons and go to dig ditches. That this singular act will miraculously wipe out the enemy.

This will sound quite hilarious and maybe even a bit stupid to you. You have enemies that are armed to the teeth. You have soldiers that outnumber yours, and instead of more plans and strategies, you’re talking about digging ditches a night before the D-day. “With all due respect Sir, your strategy is quack” could be the response of the soldiers, while others will chuckle hearing that.

Now, this was exactly what happened to Israel, Judah and Edom when they were preparing for the battle with Moab in 2 Kings 3.

The Moabites were servants to Israel when Ahab was the king of Israel; they paid a tribute of 100,000 lambs and 100,000 rams to Israel yearly. Let’s assume that a lamb or a ram today costs between 75 to 100 dollars each, multiply this amount by 200,000 and you’ll see why Moab rebelled after the death of Ahab. They couldn’t afford to keep paying such an amount in tribute to Israel and so decided to rebel and fight.

Jehoram the son of Ahab sensing that it’ll be a fierce battle called Jehoshaphat the king of Judah and the king of Edom, three kings against one. These armies took their time to prepare and went through the wilderness of Edom to wage war against Moab. On the way, there was water scarcity and the soldiers were thirsty. Jehoshaphat decided to inquire from God at the hands of a prophet Elisha concerning the battle.

Can you guess what the prophet told them? Go and dig ditches and God will both satisfy your thirst and take care of the war. You’ll only do this thing and God will deliver Moab into your hands and you’ll smite the city and mar the land.

That was like telling them that their entire preparation is good for digging ditches and nothing more. God wanted to show them that the victory in the war won’t have anything to do with their preparations; He is able to deliver them all by Himself. They should just dig ditches to get some water and leave the rest to Him; it’s a light thing for Him to conquer them.

You see, there is this thing that I have observed, even from personal experience. It’s as though we believe God more when we know nothing, have nothing, understand nothing and are unprepared. But once we think that we’ve known, we’re rich, we have little understanding and are well prepared, we jettison God and faith. We’re so interested in our personal glory that left to us God shouldn’t bother Himself, “we’ve got this.” If God were to ask us for permission to make a suggestion, we’d point Him to the backseat without a wink

When you’re fully prepared and you’re told by God that all your preparation won’t be necessary for what He wants to do in your life, will you believe Him or will you still rely on your knowledge, wisdom and preparation?

Faith isn’t exhibited only when we’re unprepared for what is facing us. Faith should be shown when we seem to have everything under control but God says “no, I won’t need all that. Go and dig the ditches and allow me to do my thing.”

The mindset should be:

Lord, I’m ready for this exam. But my faith isn’t in my preparation but in Your wisdom to direct my hands and lips as I walk into the exam hall.

I’m ready for this interview but my faith isn’t on my CV but in Your ability to grant me this job.

I’m well prepared for this surgery but I’m not trusting in my skills but my trust is in Your divine knowledge and understanding of the human anatomy, physiology and pathophysiology.

I have decades of experience for this new office but my confidence is not in my experience but in Your Wisdom to direct. And when You are done Lord, please take all the glory. I’m satisfied just to see You glorified.

The proof of my faith is my preparation. But the foundation of my faith is not my preparation, but God.

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