Judges 6:14-16 (NIV, excerpts)
The LORD
turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have… I will be with you…”
The story of Gideon
is a fascinating one. We find him hiding from the Midianites and trying to
thresh wheat on an old winepress out of sight and out of harm’s way. This is
when the angel of the LORD arrives to call Gideon into service. Gideon is
perplexed because he considers that he is the least among his family, his
family is the least among his clan, and his clan is the least among the
half-tribe of Manasseh. Gideon probably feels like he should be the last person
God would ever need or want to use. His lack of courage is manifested in the
very fact that he is secretly trying to thresh enough wheat for survival while
avoiding the oppressive power of the Midianites.
Most of us are not
very different from Gideon. Given a choice, most of us would like to fade into
the background and go about our daily lives unnoticed. And just like Gideon, we
probably feel woefully inadequate to be of service in any foreground capacity.
But we never can know just how or when we will be the one God chooses to make
an impact in someone else’s life. When we are tempted to doubt our ability, we
have the confidence that God’s promise to Gideon is the same he offers to us…
“Go in the strength you have…I will be with you.”
Gracious Heavenly Father,
Forgive us for our
hesitancy in responding to the opportunities you present to us. Remind us that
you always provide the strength and courage we need to serve you.
In Christ’s name we
pray, Amen.
Respectfully written and submitted by
Dotty Willmon, Resurrection Christian—looking for the blessed hope of
Christ’s return!
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