"We've been looking for the enemy for some time now. We've finally found him. We're surrounded. That simplifies things." That quote is attributed to US General Lewis B “Chesty” Puller in 1950 when his marine division was surrounded by a vastly larger number of Chinese soldiers. Despite the huge disadvantage his men inflicted heavy losses on the enemy and escaped the trap. While not technically a victory, being able to survive and escape the surprise attack at Chosin Reservoir was almost miraculous, and, by all accounts, a genuine military success.

A similar miraculous military success is the only good thing we know about David’s great-grandson, Abijah, who reigned for a brief three years after the death of his father, Rehoboam. The account of his reign in 1 Kings 15:1-8 says nothing good about him at all. In fact it states that God preserved him solely because of His promise to David. However, 2 Chronicles records one event in his short reign that could have inspired General Puller’s statement, and is a brief moment of reliance on God. Shortly after coming to the throne Abijah raised an army to fight against Jeroboam who was still ruling in the Northern Kingdom. At the start of the battle he stood on a hill and declared all the reasons why Jeroboam and Israel were going to be punished for their rebellion against his father and the rejection of temple worship (2 Chronicles 13:1-12). Proving that even an ungodly man can occasionally say the right things.

However, there was one significant problem with his strategy. While he was on the hill jawing at Jeroboam, Jeroboam was busy preparing an ambush. Suddenly, after the jawing ended and it was time to fight, Abijah and Judah realized they were surrounded by an army twice as big as theirs. As in the Battle of Chosin Reservoir, that simplified things. Instead of trusting in their own might all of Judah realized they had to turn to God for help. With one voice they called on God to deliver them and He did. It was both a major miracle and victory (2 Chronicles 13:13-18).

Too bad Abijah didn’t take it to heart by learning to trust God and actually believe in the sanctity of God’s temple worship (2 Chronicles 13:21). We too are surrounded by the enemies of God. Will we trust in Him and gain the victory – and then maintain our faith? Or will we trust in ourselves instead of God? With Him we are victorious conquerors. Without Him we will fall to Satan’s forces. While the right choice is obvious, that doesn’t mean we will make it because the decision remains ours. What about you, which will you choose?