We are living in a moment of history that requires a response to God. The thought that we as believers could just somehow sit by on the sideline in this hour and “hope for the best” is completely unacceptable. This is a critical window in the history of our nation. This is a critical window in the story that is being powerfully and beautifully written about the history of the Church. We, as believers in Jesus, the Bride of Christ, the Church, have a vital role to play. This is a pivotal hour. We must respond. 

The thought of responding is tough for many to consider. With so many different conversations happening all at once there seem to be a plethora of categories to choose from. Involvement, by the way that it has been defined by almost all of our mainstream media and political narratives, looks and feels like having to choose a side. Pick a side. You have to align yourself with one of the conversations. You have to rise up and defend one of the categories. Everything has become tribal in a sense. People are clustering together. Sides are being taken. Lines in the sand are being drawn. There is an eerie feeling in the air that all of this is heading towards a very heated and hostile conclusion. You just can’t have all of this adversity through the variety of ingredients and components and then just think that somebody is going to clear all of the air that has been heated up by suggesting that everyone play nice from here on out. 

But what are we supposed to do as believers? Whose side do we take? Is there an absolute right thing to do in the midst of all of the swirling chaos? I would say so. 

Joshua 5 gives us an account of a time when Joshua was by Jericho and he encountered a man that was standing opposite him with a sword drawn. Joshua didn’t know who this was, and so his immediate instinctual response was to ask this man whose side he was on, his, or the side of his enemies. (Joshua 5:13) Seems right, considering all of the conflict that Joshua and the children of Israel were going through at the moment. However, Joshua learns a valuable lesson that day, and it is one that I pray we will hear and learn from in the day we are living. 

The man responds to Joshua and says, “No, rather I indeed now come as captain of the host of the Lord.” And the Bible says that Joshua fell on his face to the ground and asked the question, “What has my lord to say to his servant.” (Joshua 5:14)

I love the angel’s response to Joshua’s question. Joshua wants him to pick a side. Joshua is in the heat of the moment, enemies surrounding, hostility on every side, and he wants to know where this new guy fits into the equation of all of the stuff that he is currently going through. Joshua wants to know how to categorize this new person who stands opposite him. And to all of this the angel says, NO! Ha! He doesn’t give Joshua what he’s looking for. In fact, he reveals to Joshua that he is involved in the wrong type of process. No, means that I won’t allow you to categorize me. No, means that you are asking the wrong questions. No, means that I am not picking sides the same way that you are picking sides.

The angel reveals who he is and what purpose he serves. To this, Joshua falls on his face and wants to know what message it is that God has for him. This is amazing. In the midst of all of the side picking, categorizing, narrative choosing, political warfare and division, hatred and hostility being wielded against and between people groups we need to be able to see the Lord. I know there are a lot of other figures that you have become familiar with that you can see, but can you see Jesus? 

Joshua realized that there are earthly sides, and they will always lead you into division. But then there is aligning yourself with the Lord. There is the opportunity to put down all of the sides and categories and cling to Jesus. In the midst of the storm we can rally up and alongside of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. This may sound really simple to you, but I promise when you begin the real-time application of what is being suggested here you will begin to see how difficult this might possibly be for you to do. 

The angel wasn’t going to enter into Joshua’s narrative. I think this is what we want most. We want to bring all of our energy and emotion over a certain issue to Jesus and have him pick a side. We want to feel validated. We want to feel like we are right and have chosen the winning side of the argument. But Joshua learned that day that “side picking” wasn’t the battle that the angel was most interested in. God was doing His own thing and it actually transcended all of the categories because God will not be limited to the fleshly power boxes that we create to define and wield our carnal sense of power in conversations and on platforms. God simply won’t do it, He is above it, far more powerful than it, and His purpose has always been, and will always be, greater than it. Winning an argument is far too low of a goal for God, He is interested in reconciling all of creation, created ones, and the cosmos into harmony with His Son as King. And all of what He does is serving that purpose. 

There are a lot of side choosing situations that we can be faced with that may not be serving God’s eternal purpose. It would do us a lot of good to fast and pray in these days in order to really and clearly lay hold of the mind of Christ. We have access to the mind of Christ by the Holy Spirit at work within us. (1 Corinthians 2:16)

Here’s a great reminder, from the book of James:  My dear brothers and sisters, understand this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger… (James 1:19)

So, we must get involved, but how? Great question. We fast and pray. Before we act, we seek the heart and face of Jesus. We are responsive to God and not simply reactionary to the world and the circumstances unfolding around us. We walk deeply and intimately with the Lord, bearing His heart, understanding His desires, and fulfilling His purposes in our generation. 

Rather than clinging to your argument or issue, cling to Jesus. 

God is working His eternal purpose out in our generation, and it would be best for us to involve our lives in what God is doing. But we will not know what He is doing unless we are walking in intimacy with Him. 

If there was ever a window to fast and pray in history, it is now. We are currently on a 40-day fast that we have called nationally and globally because we believe that this is as critical of a window in history as there has ever been. We want to be responsible to God in our generation. We want to be responsive to Him and His desires. May He form His image in us and fulfill His purposes through us.