"The Gods Which Ye Have Chosen"
Judges 10:11-14
"And the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Did not I deliver you from the Egyptians, and from the Amorites, from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines? The Zidonians also, and the Amalekites, and the Maonites, did oppress you; and ye cried to me, and I delivered you out of their hand. Yet ye have forsaken me, and served other gods: wherefore I will deliver you no more. Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation."
In April of 1970, while on its way to the moon, Apollo 13 suffered a major catastrophe when an oxygen tank exploded. Astronaut Jack Swigert got on the radio and said, “Houston, we've had a problem.” Russia had a space program, but Swigert didn't turn to them for help. Instead he called Houston, because that was where NASA's Mission Control Center was located. He knew that his very life depended on getting help, and he knew where to turn for that help.
As we go through life all of us run into situations that are more than we can handle. In those moments, what do we do? When the Israelites cried out to God for help in the time of the judges, He responded that since they had decided to worship other gods, they should seek help from them instead of Him.
Each of us chooses what will rule on the throne of our hearts. Joshua said, “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD” (Joshua 24:15). None of us follow the Lord perfectly, but we should want to follow Him every day—not just when we need something.
Growth Principle:
When you are in trouble, cry out to God for help, but also worship and serve Him every day.