Perrydox.com is devoted to the pursuit of truth, whether plain or paradoxical, whether simple or sublime, or simply absurd yet absolute.
Judges 6:1-10 – Praying through the Bible #70 – A Prayer that Got an “I Told You So”
Do you ever wish God verbally answered your prayers? Oh, that might get a little uncomfortable at times.
Once again, Israel falls prey to their folly. The inspired author succinctly says, they “did what was evil in the sight of the LORD” (Judg 6.1). “Evil,” look it up: bad, malignant, giving pain, unhappiness, misery, hurtful, unkind, vicious disposition, wicked ethically and more. The negative impact is on us and others, including God. No one wants to be called evil; but can you see yourself or others living out that definition? If we are unhappy, could it be because our choices are “evil?”
In our post-modern, zero-tolerant world for God’s ethics, “evil” sounds passé, out of date, quant, but not relevant. And yet the world is still filled with misery. Today “evil” only concerns natural consequences. To get our attention, God too uses consequences: “So the LORD handed them over to Midian seven years, and they oppressed Israel” (6.1-2). They became “poverty-stricken” (6.6) and had to hide from their enemies (6.2). Being unable to hide from God their sins; Israel had to hide from the penalty of their sins.
As is their cyclical and cynical history, “the Israelites cried out to the LORD” (6.6). What took them so long! This had been going on for seven years! About the only positive is 7 is better than the 20 years it took before (4.3). Seven years of missing out on God’s blessings before waking up and realizing they need God. How long does it take us to realize hiding doesn’t ease our problems, that we cause our own sorrows, and that we need God? For some, the awakening takes a lifetime. For others, it is the proverbial rock bottom. For all of us, we need to be listening daily to God’s interventions.
After praying, Yahweh answers though an unnamed prophet: “I brought you out of Egypt and out of the place of slavery. I delivered you from the power of Egypt and the power of all who oppressed you. I drove them out before and gave you their land. I said to you: I am Yahweh your God. Do not fear the gods of the Amorites whose land you live in. But you did not obey Me” (6.8-10). Being forgetful, they became ungrateful.
So, do you ever wish God answered your prayers? God does, through His scriptures. Read them with your ears. God also verbally answers through the voice of others, and the consequences of our lives. When the preacher seems to be speaking directly to you; when a friend says exactly what you need to, but don’t want to, hear; when your decisions keep causing us and others misery; God is speaking: “I told you so.”
Prayer Challenge: To protect ourselves from suffering long-term from our decisions, review them each day in prayer. Also pray for an honest ear to hear God’s voice through His servants and His consequences.
Comments