Scripture Reading: Micah 7:1-20, Psalm 103:8-9, Romans 6:12-14
Both my husband and I are mostly unemployed. I’m trying not to be anxious about it. We are here on purpose. We left our jobs so we could have freedom to spend time with our kids and create art together. And we have a lot of ideas, but nothing has panned out yet. As I watch our savings descend further and further from black to red, I try to stay focused on positively creating something new instead of choking with panic and imagining my children begging for food.
When we try out a new idea, and it doesn’t yield any results, we feel defeated and isolated. Defeat and isolation are paralyzing emotions we all feel in different ways. One of my smallest sons feels total defeat when he gets shampoo in his eyes, and deep isolation if everyone else has already had a snack without him.
Whether you are looking for a job or a snack, feeling alone can be terrifying. And Micah’s isolation was chilling on both a physical and spiritual level. He actually had real and profound reasons to feel alone. He believed there was no one left, and howled out, “Faithful people have vanished from the land; there is no one upright among the people” (Micah 7:2). He felt defeated and searched for a few good men, but he couldn’t find even one.
Micah saw corruption in every corner. You know the old saying about “they get you coming and going”? Micah must have felt the same way—like there was no safe place, no one he could trust. When he reaches out to the best men he can find, he discovers them to be more like razor blades than friends (Micah 7:4).
Remember how Elijah, after his victory at Mt. Carmel, looked around and despaired, believing that he was the only faithful man left in Israel. While he felt alone, God assured him that there were yet 7000 left in Israel who refused to bend their knees to Baal (1 Kings 18:16-45). Still, for both Micah and Elijah, the skies looked very dark, their hearts felt alone, and their vision felt dim. But darkness is not dark to God. He does not leave His people alone, and His vision never falters. No matter how alone we feel, there is still hope.
Even in his darkness, Micah knows the truth. He declares that our only hope, our only safe confidant is the Lord (Micah 7:7). And we know that He cares, not just abstractly or on our birthdays, but presently. He invites us into ongoing relationship with Him even now (Micah 6:3-5). He does not leave us alone, even at night, even when we’re unemployed, even when we’re hungry.
Micah urges those who still sit in darkness to cling to the God of salvation, the God who hears. No matter how dark the night, hope is close at hand: “though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light” (Micah 7:8).
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42 thoughts on "Micah’s Prayer Answered"
God is…. so much! God of hope. God who saves. God who hears. God who restores. God who is light. God who brings us through the dark to the light. God who pleads my cause. God who executed judgment for me. God who vindicates. God who shepherds. God who shows marvelous things. God who pardons iniquity. God who does not retain his anger forever. God who delights in steadfast love. God who has compassion on us. God who casts all our sin into the depths of the sea. God who is faithful.
So much truth for the world as it is today
I am in a season where I am new (1yr saved) to my love of the Lord but I am soaking him in completely. I have recently been put into circumstances that I used to be comfortable with and now feel like those people and those circumstances are not for my new life. It makes me sad and feel alone sometimes. I asked God, why can’t my Holy Spirit be “ok”with me loving you just a little, like my friends who are lovers of you. Why does the Lord want more of me? The lord spoke to me and said, I want more of you because I love you and I have written your story. Your life with me is new and favorable. Trust in me. I have shown you favor because you share your love for me no matter the cost. He is the way the truth the life.
I agree I too at times feel desolate and afraid for what’s to come I don’t get to go Church often and I sometimes look back in scripture and remind myself that He is mighty and he sees before me. I have put trust and faith that He is Almighty and He will never leave or forsake me.
Praying God meets you. Your faith is not in vain.
“their hearts felt alone, and their vision felt dim”.
“But darkness is not dark to God. He does not leave His people alone, and His vision never falters. No matter how alone we feel, there is still hope”.
This is how I have been feeling today and I find this at the end of the day. I feel alone being unmarried and without children wondering if my time for having children has passed and although enjoying time with the families that let me spend time with them I still feel alone in the quiet of my home. Wondering if God has forgotten and worrying that I’ll continue to be alone in my future days.
This was a good to read today. Thank you.
Resonated with this so much today. Last year, my husband and I stepped away from a church that had become corrupt, which meant stepping away from our jobs at the school connected with the church with no backup plan. We both went through months of unemployment. Now I work at a job that is beyond frustrating, and my husband is doing work he loves with fellowship of Christian athletes, but it is completely support based, and raising support has been a constant stress and struggle. We also bought a house in Detroit to renovate and it has had so many extra expenses and I feel anxiety creep up around every corner of every day. Just the reminder of God being with me even when it seems darkest is so helpful, but would you sisters also pray for my husband and I as we struggle through this season of financial stress and uncertainty? <3
Allie,
I am praying for you and your husband! God will honor your integrity, and I’m praying that he blesses you financially for doing the difficult (but right) thing.
Praying for you Allie.
Standing with you Allie – may the God who keeps us upright be your strength, may His peace keep anxiety at bay, and may you feel ever wrapped in the all-consuming ocean of His love!
2 The godly has perished from the earth,
and there is no one upright among mankind;
they all lie in wait for blood,
and each hunts the other with a net.
Shivers as this prophetic statement resonates today in 2017 by simply adding inter to net. How Micah could never have imagined the way mankind’s hatefulness today would be manifested as people are hunting (today’s word trolling ) the ‘net just waiting to attack, cause trouble, hurt and destroy others. Following the shiver though comes peace as I take comfort in the truth that His Word Is as alive today as it was during the days of the prophets.
Wow! That gave me chills, too. How true that is. I thank God for the peace He brings in such a frightening time for our world in 2017.
That sounds wonderful B.
If it weren’t for the little light to my right, I’d be sitting in literal darkness this morning. And if it went out, I wouldn’t worry because I know my way around our home enough that even sans the lights, I can fumble my way to the flashlight and if need be the batteries. I don’t worry about what would happen in a loss of power or loss of total light because I know it will be restored, I know the sun comes up and light will fly through our windows. My young son, on the other hand, seems to forget this. His heart gets twisted into an immediate Micah style panic the minute the lights go out and it takes everything in him to calm his sweet spirit. And I can relate, while I’m not afraid of the dark, I do fear what lies in wait in it; whether it is three large overcharges because of a bank error in our account during a very sensitive “recovery” season for us AFTER shelling out a significant amount for vehicle repairs after an accident that wasn’t our fault, or an entire week of cancelled/postponed work and therefore pay on my part because of very wacky weather here, or a terrible head cold on the only weekend I will see my husband in another month, or worse yet, the things I truly fear …. death, serious illness or injury to my husband and sweet kiddos. It is so hard in the midst of these things to see light … it can be like a fog so thick that just seeing your feet in front of you is a challenge and so you move slow and cautiously, rightfully so. Yesterday morning, I drove in this kind of fog and while traffic moved slow and slithered through the wind-y seven hills of Cincinnati, I came around a curve where the sun stood high and visible. In the cloak of fog, it gleaned perfectly and I could see its roundness and brightness in a way I don’t normally get to because it is too bright to look at. The fog acted as a kind of veil and for a moment allowed me to see something I don’t normally get to. As if the sun itself was saying, “I’m here, just keep going, I am here” … Yet again, serving as a reminder that God never leaves me in the midst of any darkness, that just like the sun’s view yesterday was very different than my own, God’s vision is so much bigger than our head colds or bank accounts. I know that even in the midst of heavy fog, there is light and like a pinhole in the night sky, God’s love and grace and glory shine through. There IS always hope because there IS ALWAYS God and my every moment prayer is that I will aways look to Him to lead me through it!
I love this. Thank you so much for sharing, B!
Thank you for sharing this B!
Amen! Beautiful, B!!
Awesome.
Rebecca, I’m so intrigued on how you and your husband both left your jobs to spend more free time with your kids and make art together. That sounds glorious and scary all at the same time. Please forgive my inquisitiveness, but if you have any time or interest, I would love to talk with you sometime to learn how you were able to do that. I would love to quit my day job and spend my days with my husband and kids and creating art together, but I don’t know how to make that happen. Thank you for your writings here. They are beautiful.
Hi Lee- it IS glorious and scary! I know it’s not for everyone, but we have always dreamed of starting a business around my husband’s art. I had a really great job, but every day I found myself coming home to babies who were a day older and thinking, “I’ve missed this day with them!” We just decided that we could make due with a lot less, and this would give us the chance to literally do the two things we’ve always wanted to do: draw and travel. We’ve been mostly unemployed for five months now. We aren’t aggressive business people, so I’m sure others could have made big money in that time. But that’s not our goal. Enough is as good as a feast. We are still figuring it out. I’m sure there are thousands of people online who would have a get rich quick scheme to quit your job and make your fortune. But honestly, my fortune is in the Lord and in His good gifts. For us, this was the right choice and every day we pray Jesus’ words back to Him: do not fear.
Micah 7:18–> “Who is a God like you…?” and Romans 6:14–> “For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace” really spoke to me this morning. I know that this world is full of trouble, but my God is GOD and He is a God of grace and power and strength and forgiveness and that gives me great hope on today.
That was the verse that caught me this morning, too. I am comforted completely by it.
Those verses stuck to me as we!
Great reminder that, though I sit in darkness, I can still watch in hope for the Lord & He will be my light.
Oh, and I’m pretty sure Jon Foreman based his song “Equally Skilled” on this passage – https://youtu.be/ORG6gMZ7V0k – one of my favorites!
This hit home for me today! I am finding myself in a season of life that has no certainty and definitely feels anything but safe and it’s just so easy to just get caught up in all the what-ifs and anxiety. I was placed in foster care as an infant & adopted because of abuse & neglect. I’ve always wanted to find my biological mother and after 25 years, I finally was able to obtain her address and begin to contact her through letters. Yesterday, I sent my very first letter out to her. As I walked out of that post office, so many emotions and fears washed over me. What if she doesn’t write back? What if after all this time she rejects me? What if I never get a letter back? Can I really handle being rejected again? But as I read the scripture today, I am reminded of all of the battles God has already fought in my life & overcame. He always champions my cause and establishes justice for me and I can remain confident that no matter what happens, I will not be alone. He will still love me even if she doesn’t. He still cares about every little detail about me and delights over me in His perfect love. God allows me to remain triumphant in every battle that comes my way and even when I fall down, I will stand up again. Going into this situation with this kind of confidence changes everything and understanding God’s grace for us allows me to show grace to my biological mother, despite the mistakes she has made in the past. Even in our pain, sin and darkness, God’s light will always shine through.
Thank you for sharing so beautifully. Fostering of infants is an area very close to my heart (I foster them)…I pray that you will get the outcome you desire. I have to say that I have learned that when bio parents don’t “respond”, it is rarely a case of rejection or lack of love for the child taken from them. Continue to extend that grace and may the God of all Grace guard your heart and give you greater than you can hope for.
Thank you for sharing this story. Your attitude is beautiful!
Sam, whatever the outcome, God will be in it. Because you asked Him to be. He has faith in you. God bless you.
This beautiful passage hit me in a new way this morning:
18 Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity
and passing over transgression
for the remnant of his inheritance?
He does not retain his anger forever,
because he delights in steadfast love.
19 He will again have compassion on us;
he will tread our iniquities underfoot.
You will cast all our sins
into the depths of the sea.
Thankful I serve a God who does not retain anger, delights in steadfast love, has compassion & stomps out my sin. Oh, what an example for living in fellowship with others.
Amen!!
Today’s text hit very close to my heart! Thank you Jehovah ❤️♥️❤️
I like Micah 7:9. “Because I have sinned against him, I must endure the Lord’s rage until he champions my cause and establishes justice for me. He will bring me into the light; I will see his salvation.”
I love that even though I am a sinner and there is a consequence for my sin the Lord is my champion. Even though I am responsible for the sin I do against God He doesn’t hold it against me. All He asks of me is to seek forgiveness and He will be my champion. He will bring me into the light. The very One that I have wronged is the One who makes it right.
Be blessed today and this weekend, sisters.
“Even though I am responsible for the sin I do against God He doesn’t hold it against me” LOVE
Amen!
Amen, Emily!
….when darkness seems to hide His face, (praise God) I rest on His unchanging grace…. in every high and stormy gale, my anchor holds within the veil…
Christ alone; cornerstone weak made strong, in the Saviour’s love, through the storm He is Lord, Lord of all..
These lines of the Hillsong song came to mind as I meditated on Rebeccas beauiful and truth filled words…
Darkness does look different to us all… but the pain and fear, the anguish and confusion, the alone feeling are the same… I have walked in darkness more times than I care to remember,
But God…
Oh But God… even in times when I didn’t know Him as I do now, He was there. When I felt more alone than the last sweet in a bag, discarded, He was there.. when life offered me lemons… He was there… when darkness was so dark, there seemed to be no way through… by God He was there.. Each uncertain step, each fear filled breathe, each fast beating heart beat… He has been there and I know from and in His word, He promises to never leave me nor forsake me,(Hebrews13:5b), that He will be with me till the end of time. (Matthew 28:20).
When the darkness comes, and I have wallowed awhile, I remember, that God has walked with me through some stuff before, that He is faithful, He is the truth to cling to, He is my rock, He is the Hope I have, always. Things may not change straight away, but to know that I am not alone, that I can trust Him who has got me thus far, He has provided, protected, comforted, been merciful to, faithful and He loves me with an everlasting love… means everything. Amen
Praying Sisters, God turn His face to shine on you today with His love, grace and peace. Xx
Yes. But God. Always.
So many times He has been there for me.
And will be again…Always.
Gratefully praising Him today and always. ❤️
Tina!!! I really needed to read this right now at this very moment. I’m here making a very hard decision and going through it all, and it’s scary I sometimes second-guess myself but I remember the words of so many godly women that are by my side and supporting me right now.
Weak made STRONG in the Savior’s love. I need HIS strength right now
There are times when I feel like Pigpen, the comic strip character from Peanuts. He’s the one with a cloud of dust ever encircling him. The sunshine is out there but it’s always seems a bit cloudy. I can’t quite rise above without some serious effort. I am not generally a melancholy sort but there are times… I’m so thankful here today for the advice of Micah. He surely had plenty to be melancholy about! Yet he steadfastly looked to the Light, confident in the dark that God had not and would not abandon Him. Oh that I would remember this! I don’t want to minimize difficulties unrealistically but in the midst of those difficulties I do want to always magnify the faithfullness of God. I don’t want to forget. I want to be a rememberer. He ever remains the Light and He always penetrates and overcomes the darkness. Always. Lord, help me to brush away the dust and walk on, confident in You, my Promise Keeper.
Thank you churchmouse for your words today. My life is, for the most part, cloudy. I have to work hard to find the sunshine even on the brightest of days. Steadfastly looking toward the Light…
I love your insights, and going through this study in 2020, always look for your comments :). Blessings to you!