1 Woe is me! For I have become like one who,
after the summer fruit has been gathered,
after the vintage has been gleaned,
finds no cluster to eat;
there is no first-ripe fig for which I hunger.
2 The faithful have disappeared from the land,
and there is no one left who is upright;
they all lie in wait for blood,
and they hunt each other with nets.
3 Their hands are skilled to do evil;
the official and the judge ask for a bribe,
and the powerful dictate what they desire;
thus they pervert justice.
4 The best of them is like a brier,
the most upright of them a thorn hedge.
The day of their sentinels, of their punishment, has come;
now their confusion is at hand.
5 Put no trust in a friend,
have no confidence in a loved one;
guard the doors of your mouth
from her who lies in your embrace;
6 for the son treats the father with contempt,
the daughter rises up against her mother,
the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
your enemies are members of your own household.
7 But as for me, I will look to the LORD,
I will wait for the God of my salvation;
my God will hear me.
Micah 7:1-7
Wednesday has long been known as “hump day”. One weekend is fading fast in our rear-view mirrors. The next shimmers off in the future like a fabled oasis rising up from the sands. And here we are, stuck in the middle. Two work days gone, two yet to come, and we’re living in hump day.
Depending on how life is going, Wednesday can be a joy or…not. It can draw forth the best from us as we are now firmly in the groove of the week or it can make us grumpy. There will always be evidence out in the world that can pull us either way.
Micah was written from Judah, the southern kingdom, when the chains of the Assyrian empire were rattling in the north. In a very short time, the Assyrian armies would defeat Israel, the northern kingdom would fall, Samaria would be occupied and the southern kingdom depleted by paying for the war, tribute to keep the Assyrians at bay, and extra defenses at home.
Micah wouldn’t blame God for the fall to come. Instead, he would point out the failures of society. Businesses gouging customers. The rich ignoring the poor. Widows and orphans neglected. Politicians seeking bribes. And families, living out the anxiety of their age, turning against one another.
Sound familiar?
Maybe life itself, in every age, bears the marks of hump day. Broken human beings, trying to figure out life, far too many finding short cuts at the expense of others, soiling their own nests.
Caught between “Let there be light!” of creation and “Let there be life!” of the resurrection, every age bears the marks of sin.
And yet every age also finds hope in the proclamation, “But as for me, I will look to the Lord, I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.”
Let us pray: Dear Lord, every day we hear of another trusted person betraying that trust, war and conflict around the world, disasters and storms that threaten life. Hope is so often muted by the anxieties of our lives. So we pray this day that you might encourage us in our walk, that we might make the most of this day, doing our part as only we can. Be our Rock, our joy and our hope. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Daily Devotions 
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