Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day.

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Our text today is Judges 6:7–10.

When the people of Israel cried out to the LORD on account of the Midianites, the LORD sent a prophet to the people of Israel. And he said to them, "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: I led you up from Egypt and brought you out of the house of slavery. And I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all who oppressed you, and drove them out before you and gave you their land. And I said to you, 'I am the LORD your God; you shall not fear the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell.' But you have not obeyed my voice." — Judges 6:7-10

Israel is desperate. Seven years of Midian's oppression has broken them, and they cry out to God for help. But instead of sending an army or a leader, God sends a prophet with a hard word.

Before God deals with the enemy outside, he exposes the enemy within. He reminds them of his past faithfulness and their present disobedience. The message is raw, but it's true: because Israel's bigger problem isn't Midian — it's their unfaithfulness.

No follower likes this part — the confrontation of God about who we are. We'd rather God just fix the crisis, remove the stress, and make life comfortable again. But God loves us too much to patch up the problems.

Like Israel, our circumstances are often symptoms of the problem, not the real problem. The deeper problem is the drift of our hearts — the quiet compromises, misplaced loyalties, and neglected obedience that weaken us from within. And God knows that if he delivers us without dealing with those things, we'll just end up back in the same problematic pit. This is why he sometimes sends a word before providing a way out. It feels like a delay, but it's actually mercy. His goal isn't temporary relief — it's lasting change.

That means the painful work of letting him search, confront, and reshape us is not punishment. It's preparation. And if we skip that work, we risk skipping the real victory he wants to give. So ask yourself the hard question: "What in me needs to change before my situation changes?"

ASK THIS:

1. Have you been asking God to fix your situation without letting Him change your heart?
2. What hard truth might God be speaking to you right now?
3. How could this season be preparation, not just punishment?
4. Are you willing to let God do the deeper work before He brings the outward relief?

DO THIS:

Ask God in prayer: "What in me needs to change before my situation changes?" Write down whatever He brings to mind, and commit to addressing it today.

PRAY THIS:

Lord, don't just change what's around me — change what's in me. Even if it's painful, do the deep work that will make the victory last. Amen.

PLAY THIS:

"Give Us Clean Hands."