Do you have the Faith of the Taliban?

The US finally left Afghanistan after almost 20 years of continuous fighting. The longest war in our history if I am not mistaken. And since we announced and ceremoniously departed the battlefield, the enemy that we have battled for that 20 years has now almost taken full control of that country in a mere few weeks. So what happened? Did we not defeat the enemy?

The answer is yes and no. We defeated Taliban forces over and over and over and over again for the past 20 years. Lives and limbs, heart, minds, and souls were sacrificed to defeat this enemy over and over. So what then, was their resolve greater than ours? In short, absolutely. They were driven by something that all of the collective forces of all the NATO nations combined would not and could not muster. A desire to serve their God, by building a nation that is driven by a moral code derived from their faith. While they fought daily in and around the country, gaining and losing ground the entire time, going and remaining dormant for extended periods of time to rest and refit, they never were truly a match for their opponent. For the most part American forces had the upper hand for the majority of this war. But, in the end when the US tired of the battle, when they believed they had sufficiently impaired their enemy, faith is what won the day.

The Taliban fight battles daily, but their secret is that they are wholly dedicated to fighting a war. A war that is generational. A war that they believe is for the eternal state of not simply a country, or a people, but for their god. They have invested their entire beings, and their sons, and their son’s sons into this fight. That is the secret to the success that we have seen in the past few weeks. I hate the damage they are doing to that country and to the people there. Some that I consider friends. But that does not negate the fact that there is a lesson to be learned for the Christian in observing what has happened there.

As actual believing Christians, we are no longer in the majority of people in this country. And because of that fact, everything we believe especially those moral standards given to us by the Creator are now considered evil. There is an enemy present in the world here and now that has a great desire to drive us from the land and destroy any influence Christianity has had in history. We have to learn from the situation in Afghanistan. While the Taliban is an evil force, worshipping a false God, and oppressing those around them, their dedication to principal is what drives their resolve to continue the fight generation after generation. We must have the same resolve. Continue the skirmishes, continue the battles on multiple fronts, but do not expect immediate victory, do not tire when all seems lost. Rather understand that this battle will not end in your lifetime, you may not even see minor victory on the front you are fighting. But you must look at the larger war, the eternal war that is transpiring before your eyes, and while we fight the enemy here and now, we must focus heavily on learning our lessons and training up the next generations and better equip them for the fight they will face.

Psalm 110 tells us that Christ sits upon a throne and that He will rule from that throne until all enemies are beneath His feet. Paul points this out at the beginning of the Epistle to the Ephesians, and interestingly enough He concludes the book with instructions on how to kit up for battle. This is not simply metaphor to give us a warm and fuzzy feeling on the inside. These are instructions for life. And it is no coincidence, that immediately preceding these instructions are the instructions for how fathers are to bring up their children.

He worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

Ephesians 1:20-23

The real success of the Taliban was not that they defeated the US outright, but that they maintained and continued to build their fighting forces all while experiencing continuous defeat for 20 years. But the day their enemy lost interested in maintaining the ground they had gained. The Taliban was there and waiting to come back in and rebuild. The time will come when the insanity of our enemy will make their control of this world untenable. Then, if we are ready, we can do the work of our King and bring peace to the land.

Caveat: Do not read more into this piece than I have written. I am not advocating for the imperial rule of Christians like we will see with the Taliban. I am simply highlighting the fact that we have hope. All is not lost in this world. Our King will be victorious, and we must always be ready and willing to serve on the battlefield when and where He calls us.