If and Why

Scripture  :

Judges 6:13  "And Gideon said, 'Please, my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us?  And where are all his wonderful deeds that our fathers recounted to us, saying, 'Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?'  But now the Lord has forsaken us and given us into the hand of Midian'".

Observation:

Gideon was encountering the angel of the Lord and the Lord spoke to him and told him that the Lord was with him.  His immediate reply was that "IF the Lord is with us, WHY has all this happened to us?"  He felt forsaken by God and that the Lord was no longer with them.  He questioned the Lord based on his present situation instead of knowing the faithfulness of the Lord.

Application:

Sometimes when we are in the midst of a trying time, we are quick to deny that God is with us.  When things go wrong, we usually don't feel like God is with us any more.  When bad things happen, we tend to be like Gideon and say, "IF God is with me, WHY has this happened to me?"  We must turn away from that and know from God's word that He is with us instead of following our feelings.

Prayer:

Father, let me live a life of faith based on Your word and not based on my emotions, feelings or thoughts.  Teach me how to respond correctly in all situations. When things are not good, help me not to act like You are not taking care of me.  Your ways are higher than my ways and sometimes I don't understand them.  Help me to walk by faith and not by sight.

Yours,
Jeff