It is probably a safe bet to say that everyone has prayed at some point in time. Even people who say they don’t believe in God report praying on occasion. Maybe it’s like a rabbit’s foot or some other good luck charm, we pray “just in case.”
It is probably an equally safe bet to say that anyone who has prayed has spent some time wondering if anyone’s really listening. Is prayer just good, positive self-talk? Is it just a psychological exercise? Or does it really fall into the realm of communication between two distinct persons?
The 30,000-foot perspective of Judges reminds that there is a God, and He does actually hear us when we call out to Him. He sometimes even initiates conversations.
God listens to individuals, sharing a back-and-forth dialogue with a woman like Deborah, a nobody like Gideon and a failure like Samson.
God listens to groups and nations, too. And, this is huge, He doesn’t require a lot of pageantry and hoopla first. We don’t have to stand on chairs and wave our arms to get His attention. No smoke signals or dragon slaying required, just a simple, earnest voice crying out to the God of the universe is all it takes to gain His attention.
God listens and sends a deliverer to help His people when they get into trouble, even when it’s trouble they’ve brought on themselves by not listening to Him in the first place.
It makes one wonder. We have the privilege of speaking with the greatest, most powerful and most generous Being in the universe. And how exactly do we use that privilege? To ask Him to just do this for us or just do that for us, “God, we’re just wondering if You could just help our team just win this one game tonight. If You would just help my friend just get this job … gee, that’d be just swell.”
Why in the world aren’t we asking Him to help us figure out a long-term solution to end poverty or disease, to provide drinkable water for people in Africa or end hunger in our own urban areas? Do we really value the privilege we’ve been given to speak with a God who hears us when we cry out to Him and has proven Himself willing to respond?
When the people of Israel called out to Him, His response was to send a deliverer. The people He used then weren’t exactly pillars of strength. Some of them might qualify for honourable mention, but most of them are of the up-and-down, hit-and-miss variety. Their example should point us to the thing we should value most from our reading of Judges, the once-for-all Deliverer (with a capital “D”) who would come hundreds of years later.
We, by virtue of the time in which we were born, are privileged to live under the leadership of that Deliverer, that Judge who also serves as our greatest Advocate and Defender. The Deliverer to whom we pray is now the One through whom we pray, by whom we pray.
Lord Jesus, You are my Hope and Deliverer. In spite of my folly and waywardness, You listen to my prayers and work in ways that are too marvellous for me to understand. I give thanks that You really care, and though I live in a broken world of sin, disease and death, I know that nothing can finally separate me from Your love. I give thanks for the privilege of prayer and for the truth that You are my Mediator and Advocate. In spite of the uncertainties of this life, You will never leave or abandon me. You have set me free from the bondage of sin and death, and You have graciously chosen me to accomplish something worthwhile in this life that will endure forever. May I freely lay hold of the benefits of prayer and seek Your wisdom and power amid the adversities and uncertainties of this life.
In Your holy name, Amen
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