Have you ever faced a thundering herd of elephants charging straight toward you? Me neither! But I heard some interesting advice today for this very scenario. Three options were presented:

1. Climb a tree
2. Find cover
3. Lay flat on the ground, burying your face in the dirt for protection

Now, I don’t know about you, but I find number 3 to be quite disconcerting. That is, until I was informed that elephants will do their best to avoid stepping on (or running over, for that matter) a person lying flat on the ground. Whew, what a relief! 🙂

So what does this have to do with faith? I find this scenario to be a perfect analogy to life today. How may of us may be feeling like a herd of rampaging elephants is charging toward us, with what is going on in our world today? The news we hear daily is replete with warnings of things to come. Predictions of war, disease, famine, persecution…We are advised to “prep” for the future by stocking up on food and all kinds of emergency supplies for the impending doomsday. Does any of this sound Biblical?

Yes – amazingly so, it should not surprise us. The Bible warns of future “persecutions, famines, earthquakes, increased wickedness, wars and rumors of wars, and love growing cold” in Matthew 24. We are advised not to be alarmed, but as we hear the thunder of elephants off in the distance, it is natural to become more than disquieted. In this country many of us have grown accustomed to living in a world of ease, where our provision comes from our own resources. So we find these alarming predictions unaligned to our past experiences. Few of us have lived through anything like a World War or the Great Depression. Many of us are unfamiliar with sacrifice or scarcity in our day-to-day lives. We live at breakneck speed with technology making life move at the nanosecond, flipping switches, clicking on our computers, following our Facebook pages, and daring not lose our phones for fear of being out of touch. Everything seems to come at the flick of a finger. How do we reconcile this with the disturbing trend of fear that has overtaken our nation and many of our homes in the past few years?

Let’s go back to the advice given above…

1. Climb a tree. In other words, rise above the noise and the chaos coming at you. How? I look to David’s words: ” From the ends of the earth I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe.” (Psalm 61: 2-3) As David fled from his enemies, he called out to God for protection, comfort, and peace. We can do the same. We MUST do the same.
2. Find cover. We seek cover to protect ourselves from impending threat. Again in the Psalms we read of a God who is there for us, our shelter, refuge, and fortress. “Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty… He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. ” (Psalm 91: 1, 4)
3. Lay flat on the ground, burying your face in the dirt. This image conjures up thoughts of panic and utter desperation. I am reminded of one of my all-time favorite Bible stories found in the plight of King Jehoshaphat of Judah, found in, 2 Chronicles 20. The king received word that a “vast army” (probably not a herd of elephants but even more dangerous!) was coming against him and was already on the march. Jehoshaphat took steps fully in line with his faith in God.

• FIRST, he “resolved to inquire of the Lord, and proclaimed a fast for all of Judah.”
• SECOND, he stood before his people who had come from every town in Judah to seek God. In front of the assembly, Jehoshaphat turned the people to recognize God’s as the God of heaven and ruler of all nations, with power and might that no nation could stand against.
• THIRD, he reminded the people of past victories and God’s deliverance, crying out to God to hear and save again.
• FOURTH, he asked for God’s help with faith that God would provide. He admitted his own powerlessness: “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you.” (v. 12)
• FIFTH, he engaged the entire community in prayer: husbands, wives, children.
• SIXTH: He listened to God’s answer: “Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army,. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.” (v. 15) He obeyed, going out to face the army coming against him with confidence.
• SEVENTH: He gave thanks, praising God, and watched for victory! “As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men…who were invading Judah, and they were defeated.” (v. 22)
• EIGHTH: Jehoshaphat and the entire kingdom were at peace. “His God had given him rest on every side.” (v. 30)

The next time you hear the elephants trumpeting, seek your covering in God’s word. Raise your eyes to His majesty and power. Fall on your face in surrender to His power, praising Him for the victory to come. Trust Him to overcome the enemy of your soul, so you can rest in His peace.