I almost didn’t sit down to open the Word this morning. I thought… “I’m going to be on a field trip next week instead of bible study, so I’ll have some extra time later to work on the study.” I had laundry to do, a house to clean spic and span because we have company this weekend (which could take a while to do!), having to make a trip to the grocery, and getting ready for a scrapbook workshop tonight.
But that old, saggy couch and the pillows that support my back beckoned me to come sit down. So I did.
Read about Gideon. Gideon? Really?
An angel, or the LORD himself, casually walks over to a poor, shy, reserved guy who lives on fear and all his life has been in hiding. Hiding from his enemy, from death, from the unknown.
But the LORD tells Gideon, “I’m with you, mighty warrior. Go and save the Israelites.”
Well, of course he blames God for the suffering he’s had to live with but had nothing left to loose. He had nothing to loose. He remembers hearing about the previous Judges and prophets who saved the people from despair…Moses being one of them.
But deep within, Gideon may have heard, “You are my Moses for this generation”.
The Lord said to him, “The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.” That is how God saw Gideon…as a warrior. But being the shy and reserved human he was…(hmmm sounds familiar)…. Gideon didn’t see himself as a warrior. He saw himself as the runt of the tribe. The little, shy one who thinks if he can hide, he’ll be safe. But God can only speak Truth. So the truth was that, deep inside…in the core of who God created Gideon to be… was a warrior. That is how God saw him.
We usually don’t see ourselves the way God sees us. Instead we hide…at least I have and still do sometimes. What would you say if…I mean when… the LORD says to you, “I’m with you, (fill in the blank with your name, job, or calling) .” I’m guilty for being like Moses, Gideon and many others, saying, “Me, God? No, no, no… I’m not the one for this plan of Yours… I’m not a warrior. I’m not a Proverbs 31 woman who balances life and does everything perfectly. I’m not an evangelist. I’m not a writer. I’m not good enough.”
But God can only.speak.Truth.
The LORD said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel…Am I not sending you??? I’ll cover the rest!” God couldn’t call Gideon a warrior if he wasn’t one…or going to be one...because he could only speak Truth.
Then the LORD revealed who HE IS when Gideon humbly offers him a sacrifice with true gratitude and awe.
I am not a warrior. At least that I know of…and maybe I should be more like? But I can relate well to Gideon and to Moses and the other people that God told to get out of their comfort zone and just.trust.
It was an ordinary day, doing his job threshing wheat, when all of a sudden…bam!…God gave him a revelation.
So, being a mom on an ordinary day…checking off my never-ending to-do list…bam!…God can give revelations today too…just being in His Presence on this saggy ‘ole couch and being simply reminded to just.trust. because God cannot lie. He can only speak Truth.
It was worth putting off my to-do list a little longer…
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