READING: Judges 4-6, Luke 4:31-44
“O my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us?”
Judges 6:13
I am amazed that God ever chooses to use me. I don’t always trust Him like I should, but still He allows me to preach His Word. I battle with faith, yet He has called me to be a shepherd. I experience more defeat than I should as a child of God. I can only guess that He uses me because He alone deserves the glory if He accomplishes anything through me.
That’s why I’m grateful for stories like the story of Gideon. God called him to lead His people against the Midianites despite the fact that Gideon’s status was not great: “Behold, my family is the least in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father’s house” (Judges 6:15). He even struggled believing that the Lord was still with His people; in typical “What have you done for me lately” thinking, he assumed that the God who had worked miracles in the past had forsaken them when the Midianites invaded. Later, Gideon even requested clear fleece signs to prove that God would be with him in the battles to come. In fact, Gideon himself knew that his request was out of order: “Do not let Your anger burn against me that I may speak once more; please let me make a test once more with the fleece” (Judges 6:39). For some grace-filled reason, God responded affirmatively to Gideon’s requests – and He would eventually lead him and his intentionally-depleted army (Judges 7) to victory against the Midianites.
That, in fact, was the point. Gideon and his forces would win not because they were most numerous or equipped, but because the Lord said, “Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat Midian as one man” (Judges 6:16). The Spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon, and the power of God led him into battle. Any victory they would gain would occur because of God, not because of them.
That same Spirit now indwells all believers, and you and I live in that strength and authority. I think that if I remembered that truth more often, I would trust Him more, win more battles, and experience more day-to-day victory. My faith would be stronger, and He alone would be glorified.
ACTION STEPS:
- Confess to God your weaknesses, but then rejoice that He uses you anyway.
- Commit to trusting God regardless of what you face today.
PRAYER: "God, I wrestle at times with just trusting You. Help me.”
TOMORROW’S READING: Judges 7-8, Luke 5:1-16