God our banner

By Anne Anjao-Eboi

It is easy to be tempted to panic in the wake of Al-Shabaab threats in Kenya. Precious lives have been needlessly lost. One life alone is very important because it translates into a family being robbed of a member.

Where do we turn to? The enemy is all around us. He is this monster thirsting after our blood and lurking in every dark corner ready to unleash suffering to people who are peaceful and have nothing to do with whatever ideological wars that are going on.

But then what can we do? Is it not common sense to protect ourselves? Shouldn’t we arm ourselves with guns too? Every home, perhaps, to own one? The Government asked us to avoid crowded areas during the last festivities. Should we, therefore, stay indoors and move only when absolutely necessary? Or should we pack up and move to the village where we can have some measure of safety?

All the above are futile because we are in a war with an invisible enemy. This is when faith comes in. Faith that God is our banner. He is our protector. He is our shield and strength, an ever-present help in times of need. He assures us that He neither sleeps nor slumbers.

One thing we need to understand is that only God knows everything about our lives: when we will be born, where we will grow up, our career and yes, when we will die. This is why worrying about whether we live or die will not do. We must put our trust in God 100 per cent.

Our God is a big God. He is able to lift us out of this situation but even if He doesn’t, it will not be because He is unable, but simply His prerogative.

There are many times when we marvel at how we survived that road accident or the house fire, a serpent that crawled into our home and just left peacefully or the gang of robbers who raided our home in the night and left us unharmed.

There is power in prayer. There is power in trust. There is power in faith. These three, directed towards God, will keep us in God’s stead. He says that we should be still and know that He is God.