Do you only pray to God when trouble is knocking at your door or you suddenly find yourself facing a hardship? Repeatedly, in the Old Testament, Israel wandered from God and began to serve other gods. Then when they were faced with an adversary, they would quickly turn back and ask God to save them.
Why would they turn back to God when they were in trouble? Because God had a pretty good reputation for saving them in the past. Based just on the Exodus alone, they knew He could redeem them with “an outstretched arm (Exodus 6:6, NASB).” They knew God was someone they could turn to save them.
In Judge’s 10, Israel pleads with God to save them from the Philistines and the sons of Ammon who had “afflicted and crushed the sons of Israel that year; for eighteen years (8, NASB).” Israel repented of their sin and cried out to God, “We have sinned against You, for indeed, we have forsaken our God and served the Baals (10).”
How would you respond if someone only came to you when they had a need while mistreating and ignoring you for years? Would you be upset? God initially responded, “Go and cry out to the gods which you have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your distress (14).” Israel knew that the false gods of the Baals they served were powerless to save them.
Thankfully our God is full of compassion. He constantly offers us an opportunity for salvation if we repent of our sins and seek him. Israel does repent in this case: “So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the LORD; and He could bear the misery of Israel no longer (16).”
Only God has the power to save us from our sin. All the false gods of the world, the things we worship, cannot save us. Times of trial can have a sobering effect that gives us clarity on the true value of earthly ways. It can reveal the character of God and his true power to save us. Yet God wants to give us so much more than just salvation. He wants to give us a life filled with His Spirit and His peace—if we choose to receive it.
“You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” – Deuteronomy 6:5, NASB
140 Character Christian 