This
past week, the Lord once more brought wisdom to me through Gideon’s story in Judges 6. These verses are such a treasure trove and I’ve
written about Gideon before, but this word came at just the right time.
As a review, invading people were coming into Israel in Gideon’s time and ravaging their land. An angel appeared to Gideon while he was threshing wheat in a winepress, which meant he was hiding out from the invaders because that is not an effective way to thresh wheat. The angel said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.”
It’s
clear that Gideon did not see himself as a mighty warrior, the person to defend
Israel against the invaders. Probably no one else did, either, but God saw him
that way. Gideon asked why so many terrible things had happened if God was with
him. He felt as if God had abandoned him.
Then
the word describing who is speaking changes from angel to Lord. “Go
in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand,” God said.
Again,
Gideon comes back with the objections, “But how can I save Israel? My clan is
the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.”
“I
will be with you …” was the response.
Sometimes,
we feel we must have it all worked out when we begin. Gideon at that time
didn’t know God would eventually take his army to only three hundred men to
defeat the enemy.
But
what he did and what we do is go in the strength we have. Go with what we have and trust God for the rest. It’s a challenge to do things that way. It seems
impossible when we begin.
When
I read these verses again recently, I was faced with deciding about something
that seemed impossible. I could figure out the first couple of steps but not
the third. But the Lord used these words He spoke to Gideon to help me see I
should step forward in faith and go in the strength I had rather than wait
until I could figure out the whole situation.
Wisdom
I gleaned from a Priscilla Shirer Bible Study a few years back is we don’t need
bigger faith. We need to realize how big God is. My level of faith is tied to
my perception of God.
So, if you feel weak, and you’re facing a task, go in the strength you have. God will be with you to give you everything you need to accomplish what He has asked you to do. He's a big God.