Judges 12:2-3. "And Jephthah said to them "I and my people had a great feud with the Ammonites; and when I called you, you did not deliver me from their hand. And when I saw that you would not deliver me, I took my life in my hand and crossed over against the Ammonites, and the Lord gave them into my hand; why then have you come up to me this day, to fight against me?""

Sometimes our allies do not come to our aid in our direst situations. Maybe it's because they don't appreciate the danger we're in; maybe it's because our message did not reach them; maybe it's because they are prevented for some reason; and maybe even sometimes it is because they have an ulterior motive, and are not truly our allies. In any case, when we have asked for human help and have not received it, we must fight our own battles, asking for God's assistance. He will help us and protect us.

When our allies eventually show up, they may feel guilty for not having come to our assistance, or, if they had an ulterior motive, they may be angry that we have succeeded without their help. These feelings may lead them to lash out at us. I am seeing this myself right now - people who ignored me or even belittled me while I struggled through the many challenges I've had in the last few years now seem angry or distant. I tried to talk to them, they wouldn't listen, so I fought my own battles. Now I have to pray for them and forgive them for not being there for me, but they have to also forgive themselves before we can have true reconciliation. This is a very hard battle for all of us in and of itself.