Will God intervene in World Affairs
Recently a leading Iranian official claimed, “Iran destroying Israel is now an achievable goal.” Their oft-stated objective is to ‘wipe Israel off the map.’ But will they succeed, or will God intervene? …and sometimes in mysterious ways. We can be assured that there will come a time that as Isaiah prophesied, “The Lord will fight (once again) as he did at Mount Perazim and in the valley of Gibeon.” Do you know what happened there?
At Mount Perizim the army of Israel was fighting the Philistines, their overlords, at the Lord’s command. But they were told to wait until they heard the sound of marching feet before they attacked. For the Lord of Hosts promised to go before them to fight their battle. And he did with his heavenly hosts!
Intervention in the Valley of Gibeon
Joshua and the Israelites also experienced God’s intervention in a miraculous way when in keeping their covenant promise, they went to the aid of the Gibeonites. They were fighting superior forces, the armies of five kings, but they need not have wondered, “Will God intervene?” For God confused the armies of their enemies sending them fleeing in a panic. And then, he sent a hail storm to pummel the retreating forces. The Israelites were executing God’s justice by fighting and fulfilling his will, so God intervened miraculously, and gave them the victory.
Will God Intervene to Heal?
Naaman the Syrian’s story shows God’s intervention on many levels. Though captive in a foreign land, a nameless Israelite handmaid initiated God’s intervention. When she learned of her master’s leprosy, she encouraged his wife with news of the prophet in Israel who could heal. Ultimately, Naaman presented himself to the prophet. But feeling rebuffed when a lowly servant met him and told him to be clean by washing in the river Jordan, Naaman left in a fury. Still, God continued to intervene through the voice of Naaman’s servants who entreated Naaman to do as the prophet had commanded. And when Naaman humbly did so, God intervened miraculously to cleanse him of his disease.
Will God Intervene for Us?
Sometimes, like Naaman, we can feel very much alone as we struggle with issues greater than those we can bear on our own. Like Elijah who had fled into the wilderness to escape Jezebel’s murderous plot, we must remember that God is always there, but not always in dramatic ways. Sometimes God’s intervention is in that still small voice. That reassuring voice that encourages us to do what we need to do knowing God will support our efforts. Sometimes we forget that God has many others who are walking with him. God helped Elijah finally realize that there were 7,000 who were still faithful. So Elijah was not alone. And, we are not alone either.
God works in different ways with different individuals and circumstances. So when we ask the question, “Will God intervene — for me?” we can be sure of God’s response. God is always there to intercede on behalf of those who are serving him and walking with him. God has a plan for each of us and we must trust that God will intervene when the time is right. The scriptures provide us the assurance of God’s purpose, so we can have confidence that he will intervene when we cry out to him for help.