A Valiant Warrior in the Making - Day 169 Month 6-18 Week 25-1
Today's Reading (Bible in 1 year)
Judges 6:1-35, Psalm 135, Jeremiah 46:13-28, Acts 8:4-24
A Valiant Warrior in the Making
Gideon is visited by an angel, but as we continue reading, we discover that the angel is actually a manifestation of God Himself. Gideon was probably in his twenties or thirties at the time, but he was timid. He said, “My family is the least in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father’s house” (Judges 6:15).” When the LORD told him to tear down his father’s altar to Baal and cut down the Asherah beside it, Gideon waited until after dark so he would not be caught because “he was too afraid of his father’s household and the men of the city to do it by day” (Judges 6:27). Yet God called him a “valiant warrior” in verse 12. Over the next few chapters, we will see how God strengthens Gideon at Gideon’s pace and transforms him into the valiant warrior God already knew him to be.
This is good news, and it leads me to a couple of thoughts.
First, God knows us better than we know ourselves. God knows our true potential. He chose Gideon to be a judge of Israel even though, when He met him, Gideon was a young and timid man living during a time when Israel was oppressed by the Midianites. Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to avoid being seen. He told God that both he and his family were insignificant, and he was afraid to carry out God's instructions to destroy his father’s altar to Baal and cut down the Asherah. Yet God still used him.
Sometimes we are shaped by our circumstances and by the life happening around us. God knew Gideon was a valiant warrior even though he appeared to be a fearful young man. In the same way, God knows what I am capable of even when I do not see it myself.
Second, God grows us at the pace we can handle. God instructed Gideon to tear down the altar to Baal and cut down the Asherah, but He allowed Gideon to do it in a way that helped him overcome his fear. As we read ahead, we also see God patiently reassuring Gideon until he was absolutely certain that God was directing him. I find that comforting because sometimes I need to know for sure as well.
These two truths bring me great comfort because there have been times in my life when I have been timid, and there have been times when I desperately wanted certainty before moving forward. God is patient with that.
When I was in my late teens or early twenties, I worked for a lumber store in Ontario. A friend's father owned an excavation company and asked if I would be interested in being trained in the trade. He felt it was time to train younger people to take over the work. The pay was excellent, and I was excited by the opportunity. It was one of the first times in my life that I prayed seriously for direction. I had recently applied to a university in Toronto, and I asked God to give me a clear answer about whether I should join the excavation company or attend university. On the very day I needed to give my answer to my friend’s father, I received my university acceptance letter. I knew God had given me my answer, so I chose university. I needed to know for sure, and God provided that certainty.
Looking back, I can also see God's protection. Within a year, my friend’s father’s business had gone bankrupt because of a lawsuit.
If we trust God and He asks us to do something, or not do something, He will guide us. God used Gideon as a valiant warrior, and God protected me from what could have been a devastating job loss. He knows our potential, and He faithfully leads us one step at a time.
Have a great day!
Steve
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