God must be so patient with His people. And often disappointed. Again and again, we turn away from God, get ourselves in trouble, ask for His help and when He does, we turn back… temporarily. This is the basic story of God’s people throughout time, and the core of the entire book of Judges. In fact, it’s even got a name: the Sin Cycle. It begins as each section of Judges begins: “The people of God turned away from God and began worshiping other things.” For them, it was usually Baal and Asherah. For us it can be ourselves, or power, or control, or comfort. Whatever it is, it leads us away from God and soon we are in trouble.
The Midianites or the Caananites were often the cause of the trouble for the Israelites. For us, our trouble comes in doubt or debt, in pain or broken relationships, in addictions or attacks. No matter who we are, when we get into trouble we usually turn to God for help. And in patience, and disappointment, God comes to the rescue. Not always right away – sometimes the wait is the lesson – but eventually, God rescues us.
And in gratitude, we follow and obey God… for a while. But soon, the distractions of this world lead us away again, and the cycle starts all over again. How long this cycle lasts varies, but usually it lasts as long as it takes for us to turn back to God.
Where are you in the cycle right now? And how patient has God been with you? And how much must He love you?
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