God sends blessings even in trials

Study of Judges chapter 13: Part 1

During my personal Bible study time recently I read through the book of Judges. I got to chapter 13 and had to read through it a few times, because it was so good. Every time I would read it again, the Holy Spirit showed me a couple more nuggets of wisdom. I want to share a few good ones with you this week. I hope they are a blessing.

And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years.
And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren, and bare not.
And the angel of the LORD appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, Behold now, thou art barren, and bearest not: but thou shalt conceive, and bear a son.

Judges 13:1-4

In this chapter, we see God’s people were not living right. Their enemies were persecuting them, and God allowed it for years because of their wickedness. But God was still in the midst of these trying times. He was still moving, working in families, giving new life. God blessed Manoah and his wife by allowing her to conceive a son, though physically she was unable. We will look more at this blessing later, but what The Lord really impressed upon me about this story were these things:

• This was not the first time the children of Israel had done evil in God’s sight. We are going to mess up. More than once. God will still forgive, and bring us blessings. We just have to make sure to keep making it right, seeking His forgiveness and turning from our wicked ways.
• Some seasons of hardship are long-lasting. This season of persecution lasted 40 years. God won’t always take away the hard times when we want him to. But he will be there with us, blessing us along the way. Always look for, and recognize those blessings and thank Him for them.
• God can perform miracles, if it’s his will. Always have faith. Don’t be afraid to believe God can do hard things. (But also, when He doesn’t move the mountains we must be willing to accept that, and thank Him anyway.)
• God still speaks to us, even in the dark times, and the storms of our life. In Judges 13 he sent an angel, but today we have His word, and the Holy Spirit which leads us, and gives us peace about our decisions. Listen for his still, small voice! Seek his instruction in every area of your life. And look for the blessings.