Hope in God – Meditation Guide
Boy with a slingshot
When Deborah faced the fearsome enemy general Sisera at the Kishon River, the situation looked quite hopeless. The Israelite forces were outnumbered and certainly out-weaponed. The Canaanite enemy had trained soldiers and the latest weapons; the Israelites had clubs, slings, maybe some spears, and that was about all. Their soldiers were not really soldiers at all – just tribal militiamen fighting for their lives.
On the face of it, Deborah didn’t stand a chance. But she did have God on her side, just as you do.
Bible Text
‘Deborah’ meant ‘bee’ in Hebrew
‘Awake, awake, Deborah. Awake, awake, utter a song!’ Judges 5:12
The full Bible text of Deborah’s story is HERE
Questions
- Do you feel that, like Deborah, you are facing impossible odds?
- That you don’t have a chance of succeeding in what your are doing?
- You have a problem, and no matter what you do you can’t seem to solve it?
One part of you is like Deborah, determined to go on because you believe in what you are doing. The other part of you is like Barak, wanting to do the right thing but not at all sure about the outcome.
Marshal the resources you have
There are two ways to look at the situation:
- You are trying hard, giving it your best shot – but maybe using the wrong strategies. If you are not succeeding, you have to ask: is doing it harder and more going to make it happen? Are there other strategies I could try – maybe even dropping the ones I am currently using? And trying something else?
- Or if you’re convinced about what you are already doing, you can keep on trying – persistence can eventually pay off.
The only person who can decide which strategy is best is yourself. But you have to remove yourself a bit from the problem to see it more clearly.
Meditation Exercise
The calm of a neat, ordered kitchen
This is where meditation comes in. Remember, God speaks most clearly in silence and calm.
- Somehow – and it sometimes seems impossible – find a small space of time to be alone. Pull weeds out of the garden. Clean a shelf in a kitchen cupboard. Bring order to something. Pray. Ask for God’s help.
- Then clear a space in your mind as well. Hand the problem over to God. Just say ‘Tell me, Lord, what to do. It’s your problem now.’ Then, when you’ve said that, let the matter rest.
- Leave it a awhile. Don’t try to force it. You’ll know when the right answer, the true answer, comes into your mind. Just as Deborah did.
A word of caution: no-one can solve all the problems in life. Sometimes we have to accept what is. If this applies to your situation, hand it over to God and have faith in His plan, even if it doesn’t make sense to you at the time.
See Bible Woman: Deborah for her full story.
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Bible Meditations and Reflections: Finding Hope in God
