Yesterday brought big news....the contract we had been hoping for will amazingly enough be awarded to us. Pending any huge upset anyway....so we're praying the final paperwork will confirm the contract.
That morning, I had headed out with the kids and we prayed in the car for Daddy. I said to the Lord out loud in front of them all, "Lord, help Daddy to be faithful in his field, even though he feels forgotten." They knew what I meant.
Meanwhile, back at the house, RM was reading in Judges (so I found out later). He was in Judges 20. The people of Israel were going to fight against the people of Benjamin. They had asked the Lord, "Who shall go up first for us to fight against the people of Benjamin?" And the Lord had answered, "Judah shall go up first."
They obeyed the Lord and sent the men of Judah out, but 22,000 men of Judah were killed. How could this be? They had inquired of the Lord, thought they had heard him right, obeyed and yet so many were killed. It says, "But the people, the men of Israel, took courage, and again formed the battle line in the same place where they had formed it on the first day. And the people of Israel went up and wept before the Lord until the evening." They asked the Lord again, "Shall we again draw near to fight against our brothers, the people of Benjamin?" The Lord said, "Go up against them."
Off they went again, the second day. They went against the people of Benjamin and this time 18,000 men were destroyed. "Then all the people of Israel, the whole army, went up and came to Bethel and wept. They sat there before the Lord and fasted that day until evening, and offered burnt offerings before the Lord. And they inquired of the Lord...'Shall we go out once more to battle against our brothers, the people of Benjamin, or shall we cease?'"
This must have been an absolute mystery for the people of Israel. They inquire of the Lord, they seek Him, and then they get destroyed!!! Did they hear wrong? What did they miss? If Zophar, from the book of Job, had been there. He would have said there was sin in their lives. That's what he told Job. He said, basically, "You just need to confess your sin, ask for forgiveness and THEN the Lord will bless you." Job hadn't sinned. Israel hadn't sinned. In Job's case, it was due to a conversation Satan had had with God. In Israel's case, the reason just isn't revealed.
Finally, for the 3rd time, Israel goes out. They got a little more strategic this time (perhaps that was the problem? Lack of strategy?) They set an ambush and this time, 25,100 men of Benjamin were destroyed and defeated.
This is a little how we have felt lately. We've sought the Lord, not just three times, but multiple times. We have confessed anything that has come to mind. We felt like we were being as faithful as we could, yet, not unlike the Isarelites, we would come before the Lord, perhaps not weeping, but certainly fasting and feeling a heaviness, as we would say, "Why are we being defeated?" Contracts weren't coming that normally came, certain doors were being closed, others just weren't opening. There was definite confusion, especially because we had inquired of the Lord.
Then, the contract came. We were very strategic in how we went about getting this contract, we had to be as there was intense competition. We prayed and prayed over the number that went in for the bid. We were very careful that we had all our ducks in a line. Why did we get it now? We had to wait weeks to find out. Even that was confusing. So much waiting!!!! But then, all the others who bid as well, were "destroyed" (well, hopefully.....just need the final paperwork!)
The Israelites can teach us many lessons. Despite their confusion, their huge losses, they still "took courage", they "again formed the battle line". They didn't give up inquiring of the Lord, thinking they could take matters into their own hands. They wept, they didn't deny it was hard to go through. They fasted, showing their utter dependence on God. And then, they had success. They never knew for certain when it would come. They thought it would be two battles earlier! So many times they are unfaithful, yet this time, they act very faithfully.
The Bible does not reveal why He let them lose the first two battles and then win on the third time. We don't know that a conversation in the heavenlies isn't part of the equation. There is more to the story that we just don't know, but even that is a lesson. When life does not go as planned, when we don't succeed even when we think we are being faithful, we still must trust that God is in control. Yesterday, an answer was forthcoming, we didn't know it at the time, but until it came, we had to be faithful in our field, in our little daily battles, whether the contract came or not.
Scripture continues to show us that life just doesn't always go as planned, yet we can still trust in a faithful God. What is exciting is that sometimes, however, He does give us successes in our battles. This is one of those times for us and we are so grateful! Definitely sighing a huge sigh of relief! We won't stop inquiring of the Lord. We won't stop trusting Him for our daily battles, big or small.
No comments:
Post a Comment