Soldiers are Never Trained During Time of War.
Whilst minding my own business as one does, a news headline rolled through my news feed. ADF had just been deployed in Victoria to help out with the lockdown and Covid 19 situation. I saw that as a Prophetic Picture that this has been and is still a war. A war against Covid 19,and its impact. Whilst there is a lot of talk about vaccines, for some reason, i dont yet ‘’see’’ it in my spirit. All i know for now is this is a long haul battle. For people in the church, they have been disappointed many times this year. Prophets ‘’a’’ and ‘’b’’ said it will be gone by May/June.However, here we are mid October! The whole ‘’church situation’’ needs a separate post by itself, watch this space.
One thing that we knew when growing up was that come budget time, the ministry of defence would always get a big chunk of the budget. This didn’t matter whether there was war or not. For a lot of people, this was baffling. However, as I grew older, I then began to appreciate that thing called, ‘’’National Security’’. Whilst budgets will differ from country, the undeniable truth is that many countries spend billions annually on their defence forces. True, in some african countries, there is an obvious disproportionate allocation that is infused with political reasons as many african countries are known for their vice grip on power once they get in. They will use all the hands of the law to thwart and crash any uprising or ‘’misguided’’ elements who become ‘’woke’’ to the government of the day’s unethical shenanigans. Huge topic, in saying that, it doesnt negate the fact that armies of today, have to stay ready, so they dont have to ‘’get ready’’. In Unleash the Book Within, I talk about the fact that we live in a world of rapid change, so investment in technology, systems etc is critical. I also covered some of the key variables that govern business environments.
Every nation has a sovereign right over its airspace, land and the water ( for those not land locked). You see, those three areas are the gates to any nation, and every country worth its salt has to invest in the necesssary technology, human resources, intelligence etc to ensure it can protect its citizens. Bottom line, armies stay ready. They are never trained during time of war.
This has been one of the lessons that Covid 19 has taught us. Countries that entered the ‘’covid 19 situation’’ from a place of strength are able to navigate this and are doing so in a better positiion than countries that were already ‘’coughing’’. Things differs from country to country, but essentially we have countries that were not ready for a major crisis because they were already had a crisis. Underfunded hospitals, hospitals that already were in dire straits couldnt cope. The same applies to economies that were already under the vice grip of poverty and uemployment. All Covid 19 did in those countries was to accelerate and exarcebate human suffering. This is basically economic decline on steroids. With WHO announcing that ‘’Lock Downs’ are not the 1st port of call when it comes to pandemics but are there to offer ‘’breathing space’’ whilst a country city, location etc tries to gain control.
Things like Contact Tracing are much easier to implement and can be made effective when existing mechanisms and resourcces are present. For countries that had not invested in their health facilities and that were under resourced then its a mammoth ask to expect them to handle the situation. The ‘’soldiers’’ were not ready.
The same applies to those who believe in the power of prayer. If the purpose and power of prayer was not ingrained in a church culture, then its a much tougher undertaking to try and gather people to start praying for something as complex and serious as what we have seen.
So if we have learnt anything this year. Stay ready so you dont have to get ready. I’m reminded of the story of Joseph in the bible. Joseph advised the king of the day that the king’s dream meant he had to use the 7 years of abundance wisely as there was another 7 years coming, but those years will be of hunger. That piece of wisdom, saved an entire nation from the effects of a drought, why? they were prepared. The king already had a ‘’war chest’’ ready to take the drought head on. They were so ready, that other external parties were coming to get help.
This translated, simply means. This is a good time to think of those habits that are necessary for the long haul and start building them, You can apply that to students. Many students start studying for the exam a few weeks before, compare that with students who have been studying all semester long or the whole year, or term. Of course those who have studied year long or term long are likely to know the stuff well than those who are studying for the exam.
During this season, I think a lot of people have sudenly realised that a few areas of their lives were exposed. This season has seen those feelings of loneliness more amplified in many people as they come face to face with exactly where they are emotionally etc. Having ‘’Reserves’’ has mattered in this season more than in any other previous seasons we have been through as a people. New reports indicate that organisations such as Beyond Blue etc have had an increase in demand, during the last few months as the pandemic takes its toll.
In conclustion, solders are never trained in the time of war. If you beleive in prayer, do that in all seasons, If you beleive in reading the bible, do that in all seasons. If you meditate, meditate in all seasons. If you are a business owner, dont waste your profits, always put ‘’something aside’’. everytime you get income. In all seasons, invest in having good quality relationships be they friendships etc, that way, anytime you need each other, you can be present for each other. Its easier to support someone you already know and by the same token, its easier to get support from a relationship that was already there, than that doesnt exist. With all its ferociousness, Covid 19 has made us wiser, provided we are willing to take the ‘’cream’’ from a ‘’sour situation’’.
I’m not going to promise you that a vaccine is coming soon, i dont know, when and if it shows up. However, like everyone else, I hope it comes soon, if it does. One thing I know for sure, is that this is going to be a very different christmas, particularly U.K and the United States.
Blessings!
Wis
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