Judges Chapter 6:7-10 (NIV-UK)
When the Israelites cried out to the Lord because of Midian, he sent them a prophet, who said, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I brought you up out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. I rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians. And I delivered you from the hand of all your oppressors; I drove them out before you and gave you their land. I said to you, “I am the Lord your God; do not worship the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you live.” But you have not listened to me.’
Judges Chapter 6: Verses 12- 13 (NIV-UK)
When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, ‘The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.’
‘Pardon me, my lord,’ Gideon replied, ‘but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, “Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?” But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.’
1 Samuel Chapter 3: Verse 10 (NIV-UK)
The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, ‘Samuel! Samuel!’
Then Samuel said, ‘Speak, for your servant is listening.’
Gideon asks a question of the angel of the LORD. Why is this happening to us? Yet God had already spoken and told them why. The people of Israel had not listened to God. They had done their own thing. Yet God still planned to intervene, using Gideon as His servant.
How often have we heard someone say the same as Gideon? Sometimes, although not always, its because we too have done our own thing and not listened to God’s direction. God had not abandoned Israel; Israel had abandoned God until need drove them back to Him. And God was ready to move once more on their behalf. But Gideon needed to listen to God and obey His commands.
Sometimes we find ourselves being tested by circumstances that are not of our making. But in order to stand in these circumstances, we need to listen to God telling us what to do next. Sometimes that is the test – are we listening and will we do as God says?
Maybe the next time we are tempted to say, “Why God?” we should do as Samuel did, and then act on what we hear.
Dear Lord,
Help me to be sensitive to hearing Your voice, especially when it’s a still, small one as it sometimes is. But more importantly help me to do what it says, especially if it’s something I may not want to hear. I ask in Jesus’ Name. Amen.