Necessary Interventions

In normal situations, we do not like interference. We want to be independent, and there are those who say, with some rudeness, that each one should take care only of his own life. However, in case of embarrassment and desperation, interventions are very welcome. When the situation is serious, we ask for help from the police, firemen, neighbors or any other person, even if it is strange. If someone is a hostage of criminals, any help is valuable, and a rescue team is received with great joy.

The Bible brings us several examples of extreme situations, in which an intervention was necessary:

• On the occasion of the destruction of Sodom, two angels were sent to liberate Lot and his family;

• When Daniel was in the lions' den, God sent an angel to protect him;

• When the slavery of the Israelites in Egypt became unbearable, they cried out to God, who sent Moses to deliver them;

• The book of Judges shows us various situations of embarrassment in the history of Israel, when the people cried out to the Lord, and He intervened through a judge, making great liberation;

• The greatest divine intervention in the history of humanity was the coming of Jesus Christ to the world to die in our place and forgive our sins. During his ministry, He performed innumerable miracles, which are also interventions in the natural order of things.

Some celestial interferences occur only by the will of God and in the time determined by Him, but in many cases they depend on the human cry. This is one of the factors that make prayer so important, necessary and, perhaps, urgent.

But we need to see who we are crying out to. Many cry out to leaders, to gods and idols, but we must pray to the Lord. The Israelites sometimes erred, asking for help from other nations, whose interference brought new problems (2Ch 28.16, Is 31.1-3). In some situations, especially of a spiritual nature, human help is vain (Ps 60.11). A certain episode in the history of Israel illustrates this concept well:

"And it came to pass after this, that Ben-hadad the king of Syria gathered all his army together, and went up and besieged Samaria: and there was a great famine in Samaria, for, behold, they compassed it about, until a head was sold of an ass for eighty pieces of silver, and a fourth part of a dove's dung end for five pieces of silver. "And when the king passed by the wall, a woman cried out to him, saying," Remember, O king, And he said to him, If the Lord does not finish you, where will I go from the eira or the wine press? (2 Kings 6.24-27) Then the divine intervention occurred, the enemies were defeated and there was great abundance in the city.

But the cry requires humility. The arrogant one is incapable of asking or supplicating, because his arrogance does not allow him. It is necessary to recognize the need and the weakness, but the proud do not cry, but in extreme situations. That is why God allows them to happen.

The experience of Jehoshaphat is interesting, that although he was king of Judah, he did not judge himself so great that he dispensed divine help. Before the threats of the enemies, he cried out to the Lord and received great liberation:

"And when they began to sing and praise, the Lord placed ambushes against the children of Ammon and Moab and those of the mountains of Seir, which came against Judah, and were overthrown" (2Ch 20.22).

In some cases, God does not intervene, because his help would mean the interruption of a necessary process as was, for example, the crucifixion of Jesus. I always help my daughter, but I can not interfere when he is doing the school tests.

However, we must always pray, whether for personal or collective reasons, remembering the Word of the Lord, which says:

"And if my people, who are called by my name, humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and forgive their sins, and heal their land" (2Cr 7.14).

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