The Cycle of Separation

Judges 4:1-3 - After Ehud died, the Israelites once again did evil in the eyes of the LORD. So the LORD sold them into the hands of Jabin, a king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. The commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth Haggoyim.  Because he had nine hundred iron chariots and had cruelly oppressed the Israelites for twenty years, they cried to the LORD for help.

The cycle of failure was not broken after two judges….it continued on for many years.  This cycle has them enjoy a time of peace…forget the God that gave it to them….and be handed over to Jabin….the king of Hazor …for twenty years.  All we are told is that they are ‘cruelly’ oppressed…because the people had not one iron chariot…but 900…and the severe oppression makes them cry out to the Lord for help.

I couldn’t help but think how much I resemble these people. When things are good I say a simple thanks…and allow myself to slip into a comfortable mode….and just coast along in the blessings he gives me. At one point in my own life I forgot God too. I left his book to collect dust on a shelf… justified not going to church with a second job….and very rarely prayed more than a quick selfish prayer for something I wanted.  I allowed satan to trick me into drinking with teens half my age…for all the wrong reasons…and that just separated me further from the God who wanted to love me more that I need to love him.

I remember the afternoon he convicted me of this sin. My life had become a crazy mess…of credit card bills…kids that were struggling in school…and a job transfer for my then first husband that had us living separated…in two different towns with double rent and utility bills. I had accepted a chaperone job with a local church youth group that had me sitting in a room of other chaperones…..when the tears began to wash the sin right out of my heart.  Oh how I cried out to him in my journal for over two hours.

It was even some time after that I fell back into complacency once more…I had lost a job…that I thought was unfair…and another door was not opening to replace it.   So I allowed satan once more to trick me into leaving the church again.  The seed of bitterness and hate and forgiveness grew into a mighty sapling …that did not get cut down till God allowed my then 30 year marriage to end in a divorce.  Oh how I cried out once more.

I just can’t Imagine letting it get so bad again….but I know if I stay too close to the world this time…I run the risk of letting satan trick me yet again.  So I try to fend him off by spending a few minutes in Bible study each night…and spending  a moment or two reflecting on what God wants me to learn from each passage. Sometimes I even understand and apply the lesson to increase my blessing…and I pray many times for God to keep my eyes and ears open for satan’s next trick…so I won’t completely leave him the next time.

Father…I thank you for your love that chases me…that won’t let me stay too long in separation from you.  Thank you for all the times you have allowed the tragedies and struggles in my life to make me aware of my need for you.  Thank you for these stories of your mighty judges…that show me that you will never leave me and will always answer me if I realize my need for you and cry out for your help. Amen.