The same people who rejected Jephthah were the same ones who turned to him for help when they were threatened by a powerful enemy. Here are a few things we can draw from his story: 1) Other people don’t determine our future, God does. The Israelites were living in slavery when God made them this promise: ‘“I know what I am planning for you,” says the Lord. “I have good plans for you, not plans to hurt you. I will give you hope and a good future”’ (Jeremiah 29:11 NCV). God’s plan wins over every other plan. 2) A unity walk requires unity talk. Jephthah immediately embraced the new relationship. ‘Then Jephthah sent messengers to the Ammonite king with the question: “What do you have against me that you have attacked my country?”’ (Judges 11:12 NIV). Notice the words ‘me’ and ‘my country’. He put the hurts of his past behind him and fully embraced the cause. One author writes: ‘He was ready to walk in unity. And a unity walk requires unity talk.’ Unity talk can have an impact on our attitude and relationship with others. For example, when we’re working in a group, simply saying ‘our project’ rather than ‘the project’ can make a difference in how unified everyone feels. That doesn’t mean we’ll always agree on every issue. It just means the cause and the vision we share are greater and more important that our different opinions and thoughts. The Bible says, ‘Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace’ (Ephesians 4:3 NLT).

What Now?

Is there anything you need to do today where you’ll need to work with others? When you’re in that situation, make an effort to use ‘unity talk’.