And God Listened
“Then Manoah prayed to the LORD and said, “O Lord, please let the man of God whom you sent come again to us and teach us what we are to do with the child who will be born.” And God listened to the voice of Manoah, and the angel of God came again to the woman as she sat in the field.” Judges 13:8-9
In the Bible, Judges is a mind-blowing narrative of Israel’s rebellion against God in their new promised land (a narrative so violent and sordid it could influence a streaming TV series), yet there were still people loyal in their faith towards God.
The parents of Samson, Manoah and his unnamed wife, were just trying to get by, no doubt asking God to do a miracle in their life by providing them with a child.
Maybe they prayed everyday with fervency, or maybe they just whispered a faint hopeful prayer every once in a while. Culturally, their lack of children was seen as a curse, and their future outlook was hopeless without someone to care for them in their old age and carry on their family name.
One day, an angel appeared to Manoah’s wife, sharing God’s message of blessing and hope by having a new child. She excitedly told her husband of the encounter, and his prayer tells us an incredible story about his faith. If an angel just appeared to his wife with an answer their prayers for a child, now what?
“Please…teach us what we are to do,” Manoah asked.
And God answered.
His simple faith did not seek to understand HOW God was going to do what was promised, but WHAT they should do in response to God keeping His promise.
I think Manoah’s tells us how we can see God at work in our lives in ways we may have not before. “Please…teach us us what we are to do,” moves us from questioning God’s ways to simply responding to His Word with faith. It moves us from seeking explanations to asking God for help experiencing and enjoying His promised blessings when we live His way.
It just gets us moving down God’s path, instead of being stuck in our own doubtful ways.
“Please…teach us what we are to do…”
God will answer that kind of prayer.
May I challenge you, that in whatever situation this message finds you in today, ask God to teach you WHAT to do in response to His promises, then look and listen for His answer. It might be in His Word, it might be in a message on the radio or through a Christian podcast, it might be through a conversation with another follower of Jesus. However God chooses to speak to us, we can be assured that He will answer us, in the right way and at the right time.
So let’s keep seeking God’s answers for what He would have us do so that we may experience all that He has in store for us.
God bless you!
Grace & Peace,
Keith
*This blog post originally appeared in an email newsletter from River Community Church