April 26
Judg 6:1-40 | PS 95:1-96:13 | Prov 15:5-6 | Luke 22:54-23:12
"Why God?" We might scream it out, cry it out, say it to defend ourselves, etc. The question often will have no direct answer, for only God can answer this one. But what is your motive and tone when you ask it. So many, use it to prove their stance against God. Stating some unfortunate event, they will conclude with, "Why would God allow this". Others will adopt a stance of defiance, stating, they will not believe in God unless God answers them. But others, in a spirit of humility, and brokenness will honestly ask "Why God" to allow their course to be redirected for Him, so as to avail themselves to Him, trying to understand what God's plan might be for them. Calamity is part of all of our lives, from the death of loved ones, to disappointments in school or at work, to conflicts with friends and acquaintances. May we never forget that God loves us. He created each of us. But, sadly, the majority choose to ignore Him to their own detriment. Calamity can be used to discipline, it can be used to finally get our attention. It is as though God is telling us to look at Him, He is not going anywhere. It might be God telling us that He has something beautiful planned for us, something that we would never dream of or conjure up on our own. Honestly approaching God in desperation with "Why God" might be the first step in a beautiful new relationship or perhaps restoring one that has gone astray.
We read of such a calamity in Judges 6:6-10, and in this case they get an answer to their "Why God" question, "So Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites, and the children of Israel cried out to the Lord. And it came to pass, when the children of Israel cried out to the Lord because of the Midianites, that the Lord sent a prophet to the children of Israel, who said to them, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘I brought you up from Egypt and brought you out of the house of bondage; and I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of all who oppressed you, and drove them out before you and gave you their land. Also I said to you, “I am the Lord your God; do not fear the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell.” But you have not obeyed My voice.’ ” In this case, the Israelites forgot about God, stopped obeying Him, and God was getting their attention. Peter, "the rock" followed Jesus becoming more and more disillusioned, not understanding what was transpiring right before his eyes, as he denied Jesus three times, when we read in Luke 22:61-62, "And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” So Peter went out and wept bitterly." Peter knew Jesus, he just needed to be refined so that he could be used.
As Gideon is hiding from the Midianites, the Angel of the Lord, approaches him and says, "The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!" Can we accept that perhaps God sees something in us, that we fail to see? He sees so much more than we do. When calamity strikes, we need to allow God to redirect us, even if that direction seems foreign to us. We must stay rooted in His Word to make sure that this direction is indeed from God, for God will never direct us into something that is contrary to His Word. Instead of using "Why God" as a defense for your unbelief, make it the beginning for your life of belief. And, once again, never forget, that He deeply loves each of us.
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: