Scripture:
- Judges 6:14 But GOD faced him (Gideon) directly: “Go in this strength that is yours. Save Israel… Haven’t I just sent you?” (Message)
- 14 And the LORD looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel… have not I sent thee? (KJV)
- 14 The LORD turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel …Am I not sending you?”
Reflection:
God loves us so much that he doesn’t leave us alone. Sometimes I think that being alone isn’t such a bad thing. Wanting to be alone, or maybe better defined, “out of the craziness of life” sounds like a pretty peaceful place. Yet, I don’t think God defines peace as inactivity!
That is why I like the story of Gideon. I find that there are times where I find myself in a similar place to his story. If you read about Gideon in Judges 6, you will find Gideon at a season in Israel’s history where they were literally hiding out in caves because of Midianite raiding parties that were taking everything. Gideon, like everyone else, is in hiding. He is a guy that is going to stay out of the fight, and just keep to himself. It appears that Gideon believes that if he keeps to the shadows, sooner or later, this crazy season will blow over. Unfortunately for Gideon, and Israel, it had been 7 long years and it wasn’t going to blow over!
Israel, suffering this oppression, finally begins to call on God for help. God answers them by sending them a prophet to remind them of who they were, as the children of God, and who He was as their redeemer. He does this by recounting to them their history.
Difficult days often move us slowly into unusual places, doing things we normally would never do, like Gideon who was hiding in a wine press trying to grind grain. Do you find yourself in some unusual places, doing things that, if conditions were different, wouldn’t make much sense? Hard days can do this to us.
When we are in a fog, it’s often the redemptive history we have in God, that becomes the marker that God uses to show us the next step. Maybe it is time for us to recall our God history, and fan the flame that was once burning bright. Even if we still have a fire for God, it doesn’t shine very far when we are hiding in a cave. The promises of God must be recalled and spoken again and again if we are going to step out of hiding places. If you can trust that God has called you, then you’ve got to remember that His calling is more than just a dream or an idea. His calling in our lives is always for redemptive purposes. His call, and our personal expression of it, is the way we worship and honor all that God has given to us.
I love the statement that “the shortest pencil is longer than the longest memory.” Maybe we need to get out a piece of paper and being to write down those dreams that Lord has spoken to us. As a way of beginning, recount and write down God’s redemptive story in your life. What gets you fired up about it? What catches your attention? Write a list of dreams or projects you would like to be apart of your life story. The key is to be obedient to that calling. Become a life student by educating yourself on a variety of subjects to expand on those dreams. Start to read, research and most importantly pray.
GOD faced him him directly: “Go in this strength that is yours. Save Israel… Haven’t I just sent you?”
Prayer: Lord help us trust you for dreams and God ideas. Help us to look around and ask ourselves if we are hiding in a cave of our own protection. Even in difficult days, help us to trust that we have the strength to be used by you to help deliver others from bondage. Deliver us from shining our lights for you only in the cave of our limited surroundings, and give us the faith to step out and be used by you.
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