Being Stuck in Virtuous Cycles?
The Israelites began series of
cycles of sinning, worshipping idols
being punished, crying for help,
being rescued by a judge, obeying
God for a while, then falling back
into idolatry. They were conquered
by Syria, Moab, Canaan, Midian,
Ammon and Philistia.
Lord, we learnt from the early part
of Judges that the Israelites had
compromised Your commands;
repeatedly sinning & God allowing
suffering to come upon them and
delivering them when they repent.
Rather than living in an endless
cycle, help us seek to live a
consistent life of Faithfulness.
Thanks be to God that In Christ
we can have the freedom & victory!
Help us Lord even as we purpose
to repent quickly & Seek Your Help;
to be Courageous to Obey You &
to offer our Helping Hands. Amen.
Lord, we will Seek for Your Help:
The anger of the Lord burned agst
Israel and He handed them to king
Aram for 8 years. But when they
cried out to the Lord, he raised
up a deliverer, Otheniel, Caleb’s
younger brother, who saved them.
Once again the Israelites did evil
and the Lord gave Moab control
over Israel for 18 years. Again the
Israelites cried out to the Lord,
and he gave them a deliverer –
Ehud, a Benjamite (Jdgs 3:9,15).
Lord, thank you whenever we cried
out to You, You will deliver us from
misery. Too often we try to control
our own lives without God’s help.
Remind us that You God should
be the first place we turn to for
help when we’re facing struggles
and not as a last resort. Amen.
Lord, we’ll be Courageous to Obey:
Ehud was dead, the children of
Israel again did evil. So the Lord
sold them into the hand of Jabin
king of Canaan. And the children
cried out to the Lord, for 20 years
Jabin harshly oppressed them.
Deborah, the prophetess sent for
Batak and said: Take 10,000 men
and I will deliver Sisera, commander
of Jabin’s army into your hand.
And Batak said: If u will go with me,
then I will go; but if u will not go
with me, I will not go! So she said:
I will go with you; but there will be
no glory for u…And the Lord routed
Sisera and his army (Jdgs 4:1-15).
Lord, grant us be courageous like
Deborah who has great faith to
do God’s will and concerned over
the welfare of the people. Amen.
Lord, we will Offer Helping Hands:
Then Deborah and Barack…
sang on that day saying:
When leaders lead in Israel,
when the people willingly offer
themselves, bless the Lord!…
I even I will sing to the Lord; I will
sing praise to the Lord (Jdgs 5:1-3)
Lord, we offer our grateful thanks
and praise for the volunteers that
faithfully offer their services for
the wellbeing & support of others.
We ask Your special blessing Lord
on each worker for they are often
taken for granted by those they
serve. Provide for the needs
of each one, guide them and
protect them from evil. Amen.