Judges 6:1-10
When Israel again did evil in the eyes of the Lord, He gave them into the hands of the Midianites for seven years. The oppression was so severe that the Israelites prepared shelters for themselves in mountain clefts, caves, and strongholds. All their crops and livestock were pillaged, leaving Israel “so impoverished” that they finally cried out to the Lord for help.
Significantly, before sending a military deliverer, God sent a prophet to remind them of the “essence” they had forgotten: “I am the Lord your God… but you have not listened to me.” The root of their suffering was not the strength of Midian, but Israel’s disobedience and their hearts that had turned away from God.
In our lives, seasons of “Midianite oppression” often come—times of great poverty where the fruits of our labor are taken, and we hide in fear. We often pray only for a change in circumstances, but God asks whose voice we are listening to. Affliction is not meant just to torment us; it is a “painful invitation” to step out of our caves and seek God’s face once again.
What am I doing today in the face of the difficulties that weigh me down? Am I merely digging deeper caves to hide in? God is waiting for us to listen to His voice amidst our deepest poverty. Rather than blaming our surroundings, I hope to be the person who examines the essence of my faith and confesses, “Lord, I will listen to Your voice.” I trust that the Lord, who never ignores those who cry out, will use this trial to begin a new work of deliverance.