If God is with us, Why do we face trouble? (Based on Judges 6)

Honey, Look What Dropped into our Living room!

It is true that God saved Israel from slavery: “I brought you up out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. I snatched you from the power of Egypt and from the hand of all your oppressors. I drove them from before you and gave you their land.” (Judg 6:8-9 NIV)

But it is also true that we tend to not always make the wisest choices: “Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord.” (Judges 6:1 NIV)

In fact for some reason we have a tendency to be extremely hard of hearing: “But you have not listened to me.” (Judg 6:10 NIV)

It is also true that in this world where there is a tendency to worship self (Aren’t we the best after all?), followers of the true God will not always (or ever) be welcomed with open arms: “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33 NIV)

In such circumstances we may easily conclude: “The Lord has abandoned us.” (Judg 6:13 NIV)

To those who wonder such things, God has an answer for you: “Am I not sending you?” (Judg 6:14 NIV)

Truthfully any of us will stutter when hearing such an invitation: “But Lord, how can I save Israel?” (Judges 6: 15a)

We can quickly recount all the reasons why we are really not suited for the job, however none of these really matter: “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites together.” (Judg 6:16 NIV)

In other words, do we truly believe that “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Rom 8:31 NIV)

We are the answer to making a difference in this world and bringing hope to the hopeless. We are the assurance that God has truly not abandoned us.

Facing troubles is our opportunity to experience God fully, not in our own strength, but in His. And believe me, with Him, nothing is impossible through faith: “ÃŒf you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.'”( Matt 17:20 NIV)

Are you wondering why we experience trouble? Good! It is because God has personally selected you to be His messenger!

Talking about the power to move mountains, a lady in New Zealand experienced such power in March of 2011. After an earthquake, she walked slowly into her living room, only to discover a large piece of rock embedded in her floor, next to her favorite chair. It wasn’t small either. It was the size of a dining room table for four.

Strangely enough, nothing else was damaged. Not one of the pictures came off the wall (Maybe she used gorilla glue to hang those?) And not a single glass or any other ornaments broke. Now she had to figure out a way to get rid of that rock.

One of her neighbours also experienced something similar. A 30-ton boulder made its way into his hallway. He found the perfect solution for getting rid of his problem: Ebay! Ingenious! He soon learned that many were interested in that boulder that came tumbling down from the nearby hills during the earthquake. It sold for NZ$60,000 (US$44,300), and he was able to donate the proceeds to the Red Cross Eathquake Appeal. It was an answer to his prayer of how to make a difference in his neighbourhood.

Are you ready for your earth-shattering experience with God?

Rob Chaffart