Encouragement:
Gideon's Story
by Judy Morris
The Lord has laid on my heart to share with you some
encouragement He gave me some time ago when I was feeling
very tired, discouraged, and overwhelmed -- like there was no
light at the end of the tunnel.
As it happened, (by divine appointment, I’m sure), the
Scripture reading for that day was from the Old Testament
story of Gideon (Judges 6). Most of us know the story of
Gideon’s fleece, and of how Gideon ends up rescuing his
country from the enemy with only 300 men because God is with
him. But this was the first time I’d ever noticed the
beginning of the story -- and God spoke to my heart through
it.
The story begins with the Israelites being terribly oppressed
by their enemies, and “they cried out to the Lord for
help.” [We can identify with that!] Gideon is working
in fear, threshing wheat in a wine press to try to hide from
the enemy.
God sends an angel who comes and says to Gideon, “The
Lord is with you, mighty warrior!” This is a surprising
greeting -- from all external evidences, it doesn’t
look like (a) the Lord is with him or (b) Gideon is any kind
of a warrior, much less a mighty one!
Gideon immediately questions, “If the Lord is with us,
why has all this happened to us? Where are all the wonders
that our fathers told us about when they said, ‘Did not
the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord
has abandoned us and put us into the hand of Midian.”
[Don’t we feel abandoned sometimes, and like
we’re not experiencing any of the good things that God
has done in the past, or that He’s doing for other
people? Don’t we wonder how these bad things can be
happening to us, if God is indeed with us? ]
God’s answer to Gideon, through the angel, is,
“Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of
Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?” [WHAT?
Gideon is hiding in fear, he’s just expressed his
feeling that the Lord isn’t doing wonders anymore and
that God has abandoned him. Wasn’t God listening??? And
now God tells him to “go in the strength he
has?!” WHAT strength? Is God kidding? ]
Gideon protests -- as we do -- that he is weak and
inadequate. God answers, “I will be with you, and you
will strike down all the Midianites together.” [Wow. If
God has picked him for this, if God is sending him on this
mission, and if God promises to be with him....hmmm, this
changes things.]
About this time Gideon decides that he needs a sign that this
IS really God speaking -- after all, the message is so
unlikely -- and God gives him a sign by consuming his
offering in fire.
Gideon says, “Ah, Sovereign Lord! I have seen the angel
of the Lord face to face!” and God responds,
“Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to
die.”
So Gideon builds an altar to the Lord there and calls it
“The Lord is Peace.” [How we long for peace in
our homes, and for freedom from fear! ]
Lord, this story speaks to my heart in many ways. Do I feel
overwhelmed? Gideon’s situation was much more
desperate, tense, and dangerous as well. Even though I feel
weak and inadequate, You equip me to be a mighty warrior. You
have chosen me and my family for this time and this task. You
want us to go in the strength we have, and to know that You
have commissioned us, and You will be with us. You are Peace
-- in the midst of tiredness -- anxieties -- children’s
squabbling -- academic challenges -- emotional upheavals --
confusion -- heartbreak -- frustration -- YOU are Peace.
Father, help me to remember these things today, and in the
days to come:
-
You are with me
-
You equip me to be a mighty warrior
-
You want me to go in the strength I have been given
-
You are sending me
-
You will be with me
-
I do not need to fear
-
You are my peace
Dear friends, may God be your Peace, your Strength, and your
Enabler in the midst of the trials you face, and may you
experience for yourself His faithfulness and His provision.
©Copyright
2006 by ADHD of the Christian Kind.
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