FIGHT
by
Dr. Gale A. Ragan-Reid (June 21, 2015)
“Then said Samuel, Bring ye hither to me Agag the king of the Amalekites. And Agag came unto him delicately. And Agag said, Surely the bitterness of death is past. And Samuel said, As thy sword hath made women childless, so shall thy mother be childless among women. And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the LORD in Gilgal” (I Samuel 15:32-33 [Samuel killeth Agag]).
Greetings In The Mighty Name Of Christ Jesus,
My sisters and brothers, my soul cries out in the wilderness, “Lord, set me free!” I feel the pain of those who fight for the issues of today that should have been dealt with long time ago but it took them time to muster up enough courage to let God work it out through them with his wondrous working power, obviously because of fear. I like Jesus in the temple when he turned over the money changers tables learned early in life that sometimes you just must fight---there is no other way around the battle and your fear will not either protect you or allow you to escape. Remember the old adage some people cannot fight their way out of a paper bag.
What holds you in fear? Is it the place you are at or the thing---the chair you sit in that makes you incapable of fighting for your life---letting go of your fear and letting God through Christ Jesus save you? I think about Hannah's prayer for a child and how God did give her a child who became the Prophet Samuel who anointed both the first king of Israel, Saul and King David. I also think about my God-fearing parents, both living and ministering in the faith of Christ Jesus in Miami, Florida. Recently, I've been called to think about the folks---the Christians in South Carolina. I know Hannah did not think her son since becoming the Prophet of Israel would have to kill Agag the King of the Amalekites over obeying God's instructions; my parents did not think their little girl would have to fight a man ten-times her size in a movie theater over African-Americans going to the movies; the family of the Christians in South Carolina did not think their mothers, fathers, children, sisters, brothers would die over one white man spewing out “African-Americans taking over” in a bible-study group when the reality seems to be undercurrents of the war that was being fought over the confederate flag.
I think how Samuel killed Agag when usually the king and his army should have killed him as God instructed in the battle in the wars. Samuel chastised King Saul for not obeying God's instructions. God did not forgive Saul for his continued disobedience and left Saul. So, Prophet Samuel did what King Saul was supposed to do and King Saul found out God was no longer with him. Sometimes you must fight.
I think how I fought at age 12-years-old back in 1969---back-hand punching a white man in the face when he lifted up his hand spewing out that black people should not be allowed to go to the movies ending up only breaking his glasses with my little tiny fist but I felt in danger and I did not know what he intended to do; if he had a weapon and planned to kill two little black girls. My family made it to the movie theater before the police. I don't remember the police, really but I guess they came; I remember my big brother---a military police pulled up and clicked his trunk to let them see he was armed with his military weapons. I do remember my parents hired a lawyer and I think my parents bought the white man a new pair of glasses, but no one in the inner city after that said anything about Black Americans at movie theaters. All my life I went to movies with my white God mother and there was no cause for any situation but we went to the downtown theater not the inner city theater where I went with my best friend classmate---where I found out one white man held strong convictions---adverse feelings about whether “African-Americans (Black Americans) should go to the movies?”, or not.
I think how the Christians at the African-American Episcopalian church in South Carolina led the fight to rid their town of the confederate flag (a symbol of slavery) before the killings of nine Christians
2
took place inside their church. I thank God they found their courage to fight and I still thank God for how far they went to fight inside the church to save their lives. I do not know where my courage came from---I know my courage came from deep down in my soul for even as a child I cried out to God in prayer to work it out, for me in so many issues and called him, “Father.” Moreover, the fight in me as a child came from my roots and the foundation of a Christian family. Sometimes you must fight to save your life! My best friend classmate and I remained best friends now for 47 years but we seldom talked throughout the years about our experience in the inner city movie theater (I did not have to back-hand punch again)---I think deep down in our hearts as we grew up and came into God's plan for our lives we came to realize a battle was fought and won [Obviously some areas in the city where tourists frequent in the movie theaters---people were more accepting than the inner city dwellers who were on the verge of integration of public schools in 1970 in Miami, Florida] but the war of all African-Americans is still prevalent in many states that did not experience change and as new immigrants who are black people come to America's shores to claim America as their new home.
Most importantly, sometimes you can do all your fighting in prayer as Hannah's prayer did---she fought for a child, I Samuel 2:1-10:
”And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart rejoiceth in the LORD,
mine horn is exalted in the LORD: my mouth is enlarged over mine
enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation. There is none holy as the
LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like
our God. Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come
out of your mouth: for the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by him
actions are weighed. The bows of the mighty men are broken, and
they that stumbled are girded with strength. They that were full have
hired out themselves for bread; and they that were hungry ceased: so
that the barren hath born seven, and she that hath many children is
waxed feeble.
The LORD killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave,
and bringeth up. The LORD maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth
low, and lifted up. He raised up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up
the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make
them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the
LORD's, and he hath set the world upon them. He will keep the feet of
his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength
shall no man prevail. The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to
pieces; out of heaven shall be thunder upon them: the LORD shall judge
the ends of the earth; and he shall give strength unto his king, and exalt
the horn of his anointed.”
