April 1
Judges 3:31-6:40
In our “pull yourselves up by your bootstraps” culture we tend to be slow to admit when we need help. This attitude of “I can do it on my own” has been around far before the sprouting of American individualism. We see this same mentality play out in Judges with disastrous consequences. In Judges 4 we see the Israelites under the rule of Jabin king of Canaan for a period of twenty years before they finally call out to God for help. Think about that. Twenty years before they finally give up trusting in themselves and turned to God. Then we see in Judges 6, it took seven years for the Israelites to cry out to God for deliverance while they were under the power of Midian. They tried hiding in mountains and caves, and finally after seven years, they tried finding refuge in God.
This same mentality of trusting in ourselves more than God is found in our hearts. Hopefully, we are quicker than the Israelites at turning to God, but we probably struggle with the same sins of pride, self-reliance, and lack of faith. God is waiting to help us just like he was waiting to deliver the Israelites, if only we will turn to him. Let us be quick to acknowledge our need for God and experience his work rather than banging our heads against the wall through our feeble efforts. The power of God is available to us, so why depend on our own weakness?
Father God, help me to be quick to turn to you and trust in you rather than relying on myself. Amen.
Why do you trust in yourself and your own ability to fix your problems rather than God?
In our “pull yourselves up by your bootstraps” culture we tend to be slow to admit when we need help. This attitude of “I can do it on my own” has been around far before the sprouting of American individualism. We see this same mentality play out in Judges with disastrous consequences. In Judges 4 we see the Israelites under the rule of Jabin king of Canaan for a period of twenty years before they finally call out to God for help. Think about that. Twenty years before they finally give up trusting in themselves and turned to God. Then we see in Judges 6, it took seven years for the Israelites to cry out to God for deliverance while they were under the power of Midian. They tried hiding in mountains and caves, and finally after seven years, they tried finding refuge in God.
This same mentality of trusting in ourselves more than God is found in our hearts. Hopefully, we are quicker than the Israelites at turning to God, but we probably struggle with the same sins of pride, self-reliance, and lack of faith. God is waiting to help us just like he was waiting to deliver the Israelites, if only we will turn to him. Let us be quick to acknowledge our need for God and experience his work rather than banging our heads against the wall through our feeble efforts. The power of God is available to us, so why depend on our own weakness?
Father God, help me to be quick to turn to you and trust in you rather than relying on myself. Amen.
Why do you trust in yourself and your own ability to fix your problems rather than God?
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