As the tragedy of the abduction of the Chibok girls started to unfold, it occurred to me that the most active players in the crisis were female. The abductees were young girls. The loudest protests have been from women-led groups, of which Oby Ezekwesili as the most notable arrowhead. Even at Government level, we see a lot of activity from first ladies and other women in power organising prayer meetings and holding consultations. What has turned out to be the greatest social media pun of the season is Dame Patience Jonathan?s ?There is God o? a statement with which I whole-heartedly agree!
And it occurred to me that there was a time of distress in Israel when it was women-led activists that rescued the Israelites from a? grievous 20-year oppressed by Jabin, king of Cannan. I do feel very strongly, that in this season, we ought to also pray, in addition to all the other prayers, that God will anoint Deborahs from the multitude of girls and women involved in this crisis.
Let us understand the role that Deborah played. She was a prophetess and a Judge in Israel.
?The inhabitants of the villages ceased, they ceased in Israel, until that I Deborah arose, that I arose a mother in Israel. (Jdg 5:7)?.
There were no kings then in Israel then ? the judges led the people. Some people are wont to say today that Nigeria does not have a government. I do not agree, but that is for another day. She called for a certain gentleman called Barak, apparently a general of sorts, and told him to mobilise men for a war against the army of Jabin, that God would give him victory. Barak demurred and insisted that he would only go if Deborah, a woman, would go with him to the war.
?And Barak said unto her, If thou wilt go with me, then I will go: but if thou wilt not go with me, then I will not go. And she said, I will surely go with thee: notwithstanding the journey that thou takest shall not be for thine honour; for the LORD shall sell Sisera into the hand of a woman. And Deborah arose, and went with Barak to Kedesh. (Jdg 4:8-9)
As prophesied, the Lord did sell Sisera, the General of Jabin?s army into the hands of a woman, and Jabin was roundly defeated. A woman named ?Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite? finished off Sisera:
?Blessed above women shall Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite be, blessed shall she be above women in the tent. He asked
Jael and Barak
water, and she gave him milk; she brought forth butter in a lordly dish. She put her hand to the nail, and her right hand to the workmen’s hammer; and with the hammer she smote Sisera, she smote off his head, when she had pierced and stricken through his temples. At her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay down: at her feet he bowed, he fell: where he bowed, there he fell down dead. (Jdg 5:24-27)?
It turned out that while I engaged in? ‘great searchings of heart’, delaying in writing this piece, God has indeed started raising Deborahs. A? Deborah from Borno State was in the US to bear a testimony for His people. Read the testimony of this little Deborah, who got the US Congress to ask Barack to move. And let us pray that God will indeed raise more Deborahs and make these abducted children arrows in the Hands of the Mighty Jehovah. Amen.
