Things To Know For Times Of Trouble

INTRODUCTION

• How many of you have had a life where you have had no difficulties? Life has been easy with no challenges. I would venture to say there are not too many people who can lay claim to a life without challenges and difficulty.

• How many times have you been in the midst of a difficult time and you just did not know what to do, you did not know where to turn. In desperation you cried out to God for help.

• When we get in tough situations we feel very helpless. Sometimes we feel so helpless that we forget that God can use us as part of the solution to the problem.

• When we feel helpless, there are a lot of things that we seem to forget regarding God and our problem.

• Today we are going to look in the book of Judges Chapters 6 and 7. I want to look at someone who was in a terrible situation and I want us to look at some things that we need to know for times of trouble.

• The nation of Israel was in the throws of oppression, this time at the hands of the Midianites. The nation had enjoyed close to 40 years worth of prosperity and peace after Jabin had delivered them from the last oppression.

• Near the end of the 40 years, the sons of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. Now they were in the middle of 7 years of oppression at the hands of the Midianites. Each year during the harvest the Midians along with their allies would sweep into Israel and take all the grain and livestock they could take, thus ruining the harvest for the nation. READ Judges 6:3-6

• The nation was scared. Listen to verse 2 of chapter 6. “The power of Midian prevailed against Israel. Because of Midian the sons of Israel made for themselves the dens which were in the mountains and the caves and the strongholds.”

• The nation of Israel was desperate to the point that they were once again crying out to God. READ JUDGES 6:6-7

• The nation was at a low point and they felt abandoned by God and they did not know what to do. Have you ever felt that way? They were so absorbed by the problem that the people could not see what to do in order to fix it.

• From our story today I want us to look at some things we need to know for times of trouble.

During times of trouble we need to know that:

SERMON

I. GOD UNDERSTANDS THE REAL PROBLEM- 6:1-10

• How many times do we find our selves in a situation where we really do not see what got us unto the situation, or maybe down deep we knew why things were happening but we did not want to admit it?

• The nation had to know why they were in the throws of oppression; it is not like it had never happened before.

• Nevertheless the people were distraught. Verse six told us that the nation was at a low point.

• It has amazed me in my own life how many times I would be in the middle of something and not really want to acknowledge what the real problem was. How many times has this happened with money?

• When I worked in the factory, I used to think that I needed to make more money. I thought more money would take care of the financial issues I was facing. It never occurred to me (really I did not want to admit) that my lack of discipline was the reason for any money issues we had at the time.

• The nation cried out to God. What did God do? He came in and immediately pushed the oppressors out of the county! WRONG.

• READ 6:7-10

• God gave them an answer in a strange way. God sent an unnamed prophet to let the nation know WHY they were having the problems they were facing. God did not give the people what they wanted, but instead what they needed. They needed to know why the oppression was happening

• In order to fix a problem, we need to know what the real problem is. If I thought my money problems resulted from a lack of money instead of a lack of discipline, as soon as I would get more money, I would just face more problems until I took care of the real issue.

• For the Israelites, the real issue was not the oppression, but instead their lack of obedience towards God.

• God knows what your real issues are so He can help you in your times of trouble.