“That will be no problem.”
Have you ever heard that before? Maybe when you brought your car to the mechanic, you were told fixing the issue would be “no problem.” When hearing “that will be no problem” fixing your car, you sat contentedly in the waiting area. You were content because you were told that there would be “no problem” fixing your car.
Relieved when you finally see the mechanic walking in, you suppose it’s time to hear that there was “no problem” in fixing the car. And, you assume it will be as you were told. And you will go, pay the bill, and be on your merry way. Alas, that’s rarely the case at the mechanic’s, for there’s always a problem when fixing a car. As it turns out, you’re informed that the problems with your car are numerous. It will cost triple what you were expecting. But you pay it anyway, knowing that you need your car to go to work, to go to the grocery store, and finally to pick up the kids from school. It was a big problem.
The “no problem” ended up being very expensive. You not only ended up having to put most of the bill on your credit card that you had just paid down, but you also had to inform everyone who knew you were at the mechanic’s that there was a big problem. Lesson learned? Being a bit of a skeptic when visiting the mechanic might not be a bad idea.
There was a problem
In 1 Kings 20, there was a king, Ben-hadad, who demanded that the king of Israel, Ahab, hand over silver, gold, their wives, and the “best” of their children. Unbelievably, Ahab capitulated and gave in to those demands. “No problem,” he said. Ben-hadad was not satisfied with this response, even though Israel had agreed to his initial demands. He declared that his soldiers were going to search the palace of Ahab and seize all that was valuable. That was the tipping point for Ahab, and that was when he said, “Now, there’s a problem.”
Ben-hadad was furious over this refusal and declared:
I Kings 20:10 NLT “…May the gods strike me and even kill me if there remains enough dust from Samaria to provide even a handful for each of my soldiers.”
He thought that he would have “no problem” whatsoever in overcoming the forces of Israel; he was sure of victory. Not only did Ben-hadad have a formidable army, he was also backed by 32 allied kings (see 1 Kings 20:1). What Ben-hadad didn’t take into consideration was the fact that he was fighting against God Himself when he picked a fight with His people.
Don’t be so sure
While later on in his reign, Ahab proved to be lacking as a king over Israel, at the time of this exchange, his actions were right. He understood that those bragging over what they predicted to be an easy victory would be the ones facing a greater predicament than Israel after God had his say.
I Kings 20:11 NLT “A warrior putting on his sword for battle should not boast like a warrior who has already won.”
How was Ahab so sure of God’s intervention? How could he, in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds, declare that Ben-hadad’s boast was premature? Wasn’t Ben-hadad, with the support of 32 other kings and their armies, correct in his assumption of victory over Israel?
Unlike us when we went to see the mechanic in our earlier story, Ahab understood that the problems he didn’t see weren’t unseen by God. God saw everything, and He gave Ahab the confidence to say, “No problem.” He said this when it seemed that the problem he faced was beyond his ability to address.
When spring comes
Israel’s problem didn’t evaporate instantly, as we would like to believe. While the king’s declaration of faith in God was pivotal in turning the tide of events, it took months for the battle to be won. We see in 1 Kings 20:22 that the enemy’s armies would return the following spring to battle.
1 Kings 20:22 NLT "Afterward, the prophet said to King Ahab, 'Get ready for another attack. Begin making plans now, for the king of Aram will come back next spring.'"
Faith that stands the test of the battlefields of spring is faith that can say there’s really “no problem.” This kind of faith can say “no problem” when an enemy is supported by 32 other kings and their armies, declaring defeat. This faith understands that there may be meetings on several battlefields before the final blow of the sword is dealt.
No problem in the waiting room
As you stand on the hill of battle today, be it the last battle of many or the first in a season of battles, be aware that you have more on your side than the enemy has on his. You can say, “No problem.” And then have a seat in the waiting room while God fights for you.
Joshua 23:9, 10 NLT “For the Lord has driven out great and powerful nations for you, and no one has yet been able to defeat you. Each one of you will put to flight a thousand of the enemy, for the Lord your God fights for you, just as he has promised.”
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