Judges 3: Godspeed to Us All

"The Israelites cried out to the Lord.  So the Lord raised up Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb's youngest brother as a deliverer to save the Israelites."

Judges 3:9

The Lord tested His people, and they failed.  He sold them as slaves to the king of Aram of the Two Rivers.  When they finally cried out to Him after eight years of servitude, He lifted up Othniel as a judge, who battled for and won the Israelites' freedom.

Again, the Israelites failed the same test...  and again He let His people be overtaken.  The Israelites served the king of Moab for 18 years.  Again, they eventually cried out to the Lord, who sent Ethud as a second judge, who assassinated the king of Moab and led Israel to victory again.  (If you enjoy detailed battle scenes, I strongly recommend reading Judges 3:15-30)

The Lord continues to test His people to this day.  Each of us goes through this cycle of judgement on a rather regular basis.  The beauty of it all, though, is that we can trust God to respond when we call out to Him.  When we recognize our failures, when we are truly repentant, when we fall before Him and recognize that only He can save us from ourselves - the Lord comes rushing in so swiftly to rescue us that the sonic boom following Him shakes the foundations of all the lives around us.  This is what I imagine when I hear the term, "Godspeed."

Question of the Day:

Have you ever been close to a person and noticed his/her transformation as he/she called out to the Lord and received Salvation, whether for the first time... or the first time in a long time?  Have you ever been that person who called out to the Lord and felt that fire burn in your own life?

Prayer of the Day:

Lord, I know that only You are mighty enough to rescue me from my own flesh.  Come, light a fire in my soul and burn away all impurities!  Never let Your fire be extinguished within me, but let it be a shining beacon for all those whose paths cross my own.  Let me be the bringer of joy who You created me to be.  Amen!