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Cry out to the Lord

By 20 March 2020June 23rd, 2020No Comments

The Bible is filled with stories and wisdom that make sense not only for the time when it was written, but it makes sense for us today.
It has been my habit for the last (approx!) 3.5 years to read a chapter of the Bible, and record a verse in a whattsapp group group with other friends. I always seek to find application of the Word to my life, and to bring godly and biblical perspective to the world around me.
Today, I was in Judges chapter 6. And I found myself reading the familiar story of a man called Gideon, raised up by God to rescue the Israelites from the trouble inflicted on them by their enemy, the Israelites. These Midianites were oppressing God’s people in many ways. They camped on the land belonging to Israel, destroying the crops planted as well as the livestock, forcing the Israelites to cower away into mountain clefts and caves. The Bible records that Midian was like a swarm of locusts; impossible to count and ravaging the land wherever they could.
For the Israelites, they must have felt like a plague – destroying everything they had, forcing them from their homes and causing them to live anxiously.
But then Israel cried out to the Lord for help (verse 6). 
And without delay, God answered their prayer. He raises up a man called Gideon, to lead a revolt against the Midianites and rescue God’s people. Cut a long story short, (especially because Gideon tested God three times!), God did rescue Israel from the pesky Midianites through Gideon.
The personal application of the story came quickly to me. It was simple, but nonetheless so relevant for many right now.
The coronavirus situation is a worrying time for many. People I know have lost their jobs. Schools are closed. Most businesses can’t claim from their insurance policies for loss of income. Those with low incomes, vulnerable or living on their own with limited means may find this a difficult time. In one way or another, we will all directly or indirectly be affected by this global crisis. The enemy each of us may face is not called ‘Midian’ – it may be called ‘Loss of job’, ‘Loss of investments’, ‘Lonely’, ‘Overwhelmed’, ‘Distressed’, ‘Hungry’, ‘Anxious’.
Whatever you call your enemy right now, know that God is willing and able to rescue you from it. No one wants to go through hard times. But they can be the place where God reveals His kindness, compassion, love, faithfulness and provision in our lives. You don’t need to fight these battles on your own. The battle is the Lord’s – 2 Chronicles 20:15
David once faced an enemy, it was called Saul. This was the inspiration for him to pen Psalm 18. If you are facing an enemy today – cry out to the Lord in prayer for He will rescue you!
Psalm 18 (from the NIV)
He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
    he drew me out of deep waters.
17 He rescued me from my powerful enemy,
    from my foes, who were too strong for me.
18 They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
    but the Lord was my support.
19 He brought me out into a spacious place;
    he rescued me because he delighted in me.