Micah is a contemporary of Isaiah (about 700 years BC), prophesying during the Assyrian threat, most likely during the siege of Jerusalem. The people of God are at their lowest, their city is threatened, they seem to have no way out. Yet in the midst of this time of suffering, chaos, and pain, God gives to them a promise - a promise that their deliverer would come from the least likely place, from the small, insignificant town of Bethlehem. This deliverer wouldn’t be a military leader like they expected, but a shepherd.
Sometimes the answers to our prayers aren’t what we expect. But they are what we need. We want a God that will provide for all of our needs, to keep us from all harm and danger, to make our life easier. That’s what we want, but what we need is a savior. One who delivers us from our sins, not just the forgiveness, but the correction when we err as well. Thank you God, for sending your Son, the One we need, not the one we deserved or wanted.