You might remember the account of Pharaoh and the people of Israel in Egypt. They got there by virtue of Joseph’s position as a close advisor of Pharoah. But after a few generations, the Israelites were viewed as undesirables and treated as such by the Egyptians. 

God wanted them to be freed and Pharaoh resisted Moses’ demands for their freedom. So God undertook to change Pharaoh’s mind with numerous plagues on the people. They were executed one at a time and finally, Pharaoh was convinced he needed to relent and let the Israelites go.

In the time of Isaiah and Jeremiah, long after the kingdom of David and Solomon with all their glory, the Israeli people fell away from God. God began to send wars and invasions to shake up the people. First, the territories around Judah and Jerusalem were occupied by the outsiders from Syria. Then, still not repenting, God sent invaders from Babylon and Judah was also captured and the people enslaved. 

This captivity which lasted for decades convinced the people of the evil of idolatry.

The main point here is that God allowed setback after setback in order to get the attention of His people.

I can’t help but think the numerous setbacks our nation has been subjected to in recent years should be taken as God’s warnings to us. Think of 911, the mass murders in schools and other places, the shutdowns of the corona virus, the riots and destruction. All these should be viewed at the least as a call by the Lord to turn to Him. We can’t look to President Trump to save us. He might be used by the Lord but ultimately, we need to look to God, not men for our salvation.

Over the centuries, Christians more times than not, have been subjected to much hardship and persecution. We should not expect to see sunny days without respite. Instead, we should expect persecution for the Scripture tells us they that live Godly shall suffer persecution. (IITim 3:12) God promises to deliver His church against the power of Satan. But we should not expect this to come without conflict and without our prayer and intercession for His deliverance.