Proverbs 21:30 There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the Lord. 31 The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the Lord.
This passage of scripture teaches us the very important lesson that our personal and national safety does not lie with our military might, or extensive surveillance and protective measures. While all of these are good and necessary in their legitimate sphere, yet it is a well known fact that our security ultimately depends on God. Even though there are those who would like to think otherwise, yet the bible records several instances where the interposition of God as it pertains to safety, clearly shows that without His providential watch-care over us night and day, we can be consumed as in a moment. Let's read:
Psalms 127:1 Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.
The scriptures also warn us against harboring the misconception that we can defend our homes, ourselves, and our nation, independent of God. Even with those nations that are essentially pagan in their beliefs and practices, God's mercy is still exercised so that they are not swept off their feet by human and satanic agencies without any warning. For instance, although we enjoy military prowess as a nation, yet we were not able to detect or prevent 9/11, and though we rain down bombs relentlessly on isis, yet of ourselves we are powerless to stop their advance, because for some "Unknown" reason they are capturing new territory each day and are manifesting an unexplainable resilience.
Our personal and national safety depend on two essential factors, (1) In keeping the commandments of God as outlined in the bible, incorporating godly principles in our daily affairs, and (2) Trusting in God to help us when in difficulty or when attacked by our enemies, both seen and unseen. To put confidence in our military might will bring us to our knees one day when we realize that all the extensive planning and precautions stand powerless to guarantee our safety. As a matter of fact, the bible actually pronounces a curse on individuals and nations that trust in their finite ability to protect themselves, independent of any advice, assistance, or interposition from God. Let's read:
Jeremiah 17:5 Thus saith the Lord; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord. 6 For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited.
When Belshazzar made a mockery of God by desecrating the sacred vessels that were sanctified for holy use alone, a bloodless hand appeared out of nowhere and wrote out his doom and the coming demise of his nation, because they praised the gods of wood and stone, which see not nor hear. And it was while they were thus reveling in their national greatness and accomplishments, that the Medes and Persians were silently diverting the waters of the river Euphrates, thus giving them entrance to the city which lay on the river's bed. The very same night was the king of Babylon slain, together with all those who trusted in the military might of his armies, thus shining a beacon of warning to all future generations that may presume to follow in the same path of self-sufficiency. Let's read:
Daniel 5:1 Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords" ..... 4 They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone. 24 Then was the part of the hand sent from him; and this writing was written. 25"Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin. 26 This is the interpretation of the thing: Mene; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it. 27 Tekel; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting. 28 Peres; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians. 30 In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain.
As a nation we are now faced with a plethora of troubles and dangers on every side, and it seems as if every day, some new disturbance threatens our national security. We now have the deadly Ebola virus to deal with, while at the same time Isis is causing havoc in the Middle east, and Vladimir Putin is taking advantage of the situation in Ukraine, whilst the North koreans are building nukes and threatening to use them. Added to all this is the fear and uncertainty in the stock market, and the seemingly irreconcilable differences between our political leaders.
Through these many other adversities, God is now speaking to us as individuals and as a nation to turn to Him in sincerity and truth, by not instituting laws that are in revolt against His government, and by repenting of the many national and personal sins that are eating us from the inside out like a cancer. God delights in mercy and He has placed mighty angels that excel in strength at the four corners of the earth to hold back the winds of strife, lest they blow upon the earth and cause unprecedented destruction upon man and beast. Let's read:
Revelation 7:1 And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. 2 And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, 3 Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.
It is therefore of critical importance for our political and religious leaders, and each individual to come to a realization of what is really taking place behind the scenes, and it is high time for us to step up to the plate by instituting reforms that are in harmony with the principles of righteousness. If and when this is done, God will be more than willing to restore our tranquility as in former years, for He has promised in His word that when the right conditions are fulfilled, our safety and longevity will be guaranteed. We therefore end with a passage of scripture which reiterates this sacred truth, and it is the will of God that we comply without delay. Let's read:
Jeremiah 17:7 Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. 8 For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.
May God add His blessing to the study and doing of His every word. God bless!