Deborah
4 Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, now that Ehud was dead. 2 So the Lord sold them into the hands of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. Sisera, the commander of his army, was based in Harosheth Haggoyim. 3 Because he had nine hundred chariots fitted with iron and had cruelly oppressed the Israelites for twenty years, they cried to the Lord for help.
After 20 years of oppression, the Israelites finally cried out to God for help. Why wasn’t he the first one they turned to in time of need? When we choose to go our own way, we will get ourselves in a mess. Trying to control our lives without God’s help leads to struggle and confusion. How do you avoid this? Stay in daily contact with God. When you do this, you are less likely to get yourself into painful circumstances. The Israelites never fully learned this. God wants us to seek his strength and guidance first.
