“For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you....Thus says the LORD to you, ‘Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God’s.’” 2 Chronicles 20:12b, 15b

 In the Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, the army of Rohan tops the hill above the plain below the city of Minis Tirith, and is immediately halted in seeing the innumerable horde of Orcs and evil arrayed before them. You can, for just a moment, see in the King of Rohan’s face his first reaction of dismay at such an overwhelming force, but he quickly rallies himself and begins to encourage his troops before heading into battle. His niece, Eowyn, is sitting on a horse with Merry, one of the Hobbits, and whispers quietly to him, “Courage, Merry, courage for our friends.”

 This short call to courage is so applicable for our time. It is so needed for us who know the Lord well and have learned to trust Him no matter what, so that we remain calm, quiet, peaceful, steady, stable, with our eyes, hearts and wills fixed upon Christ for the sake of our brothers and sisters in Christ, our friends, our families, our co-workers, and those all around us.

 This exhortation to courage is so completely in sync with what Peter told his readers in 1 Peter 3:15-16:

 Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.

 I take “hope” to be all of the above powerful and positive qualities, as mentioned in my second paragraph. But “hope” is also a Person…Jesus Christ, who is our eternal Hope.

We are not God. We do not know all of the why’s, the what’s, the who’s, the when’s or the how’s of what is happening or will yet happen. All we know is that God knows and we simply see a threat and honestly, in all situations at all times, we would do well to admit to the Lord, “We do not know what to do, but we do know to stay fixed upon You…no matter what!”

 Added to that admission is our declaration, “We are powerless.” Jesus said, “Without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5b). The comprehensiveness of that truth is more encompassing and permeating than we know, and we far too often fail to admit.

What do we do when these great hordes loom ahead and all around us? First of all, it is vital that we recognize that the threat of enemy hordes is and always has been constant. “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Our enemy’s hordes do indeed surround us and are poised to destroy us except for the loving restraint and shielding of our Heavenly Father’s hand.

But we are also commanded by God in Isaiah 8:12-14a:

Do not call conspiracy everything that these people call conspiracy; do not fear what they fear, and do not dread it. The LORD Almighty is the One you are to regard as holy, He is the one you are to fear, He is the one you are to dread, and He will be a sanctuary…

“Do not dread it.” There are far, far too many Christians who are even now obsessed with conversations, speculations, and reports of conspiracies; who are feeding their fears and, ashamedly, are consumed with improper and unfounded dread.

Is God no longer on His throne? Is He no longer engaged in the affairs of this world? Has He suspended caring for His children? Is He asleep? Is He ignorant? Is He uncaring? Shame on us, those who call themselves God’s children, those who are redeemed by the blood of Christ, inhabited by His Holy Spirit! We, of all people, should be the least afraid, the least concerned, the least depressed, the least pessimistic, the least focused upon self-preservation, and consumed with dread about the future!

Our Friend, our Brother, our King sits on His throne at the right hand of our Heavenly Father, and He is infinitely, intimately and intensely engaged in building His Kingdom, executing our Father’s will, and deploying His Holy Spirit to, even now, convict the world of sin and bring light into darkness! All things are under His jurisdiction…He alone is sovereign!

Yes, certainly, there will be times when our Loving God chooses to allow the great horde to actually touch us, and we are injured as a result. As He said in John 16:33, “In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” 

And when trouble comes, we declare that we are powerless and we know not what to do, but God does and will act for our good. That is the very power and application of Romans 8:28-32:

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that He might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom He predestined He also called, and those whom He called He also justified, and those whom He justified He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things? 

Let’s not all groan for “the good old days.” We, like Paul, must always be “forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, [so we] press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called [us] heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13b-14). 

In the Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, one scene addresses a similar sentiment for what we feel in times like these. Frodo is talking with Gandalf and says, “I wish the Ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened.” Gandalf replies, “So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.” God has chosen for each of us to be who we are, where we are, and encountering all that is now happening around us. We have been appointed to be His ambassadors for the gospel precisely for this moment in time. We have been chosen by Him to be lighthouses in these times of increasing darkness.

 Yes, sure, wouldn’t it be nice if our country were peaceful, if COVID-19 had never attacked our country and our world, and if we could all just get along? But that is not where we are and that is not what is happening. However, our response in all of this is to “count it all joy” (James 1:2); “rejoice always” (Philippians 4:4); “Trust in the Lord with all [our] heart[s]” (Proverbs 3:5); “Be still before the Lord” (Psalm 37:7); and “Do not be anxious about anything” (Philippians 4:6).

 As for me, I am committing to make the excerpts from the verses above a part of my regular communications with the Lord. In presenting all my requests, I will state the facts as I know them and my feelings as I experience them, and will freely declare that I am powerless and I know not what to do. However, what I do know to do is to bring it all to my God, my Friend, and my Father. He will fight my battles for me, in me, through me, and with me. Without Christ I can do nothing, but in Him and with Him:

I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency]” (Philippians 4:13 Amplified Bible).

Don’t you love that phrase, “self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency”? The battle truly is the Lord’s for us who are in Him and in whom He dwells, for He alone is sufficient to handle all that threatens us!

So our response must be that which the Lord gave us through David, “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord” (Psalm 27:14).

 PS: I strongly encourage each of you to take time to read prayerfully, quietly, and thoroughly the book of Philippians. As you can see, I quoted from it frequently. It is a positive and powerful book for each of us for this moment.