Skip to main content

I Will Be With You

This week Nate was reading our fam the story of Gideon.  Such a wonderful story of victory, faith, and...fear?  Yep, Gideon had a lot of fear...but, it was what he chose to do with that fear that made him  one of the heroes of the faith.

Here's the story paraphrased by me....
Israel had again done evil in the eyes of the Lord...surprise, surprise...and for six years they had been oppressed by the Midianites.  The Midianites ravaged their lives. Finally, after being "reduced to starvation" they cried out to the Lord.

On the scene comes Gideon, threshing wheat in a wine press, the most unexpected place...living in fear... trying to keep his family alive.

The Angel of the LORD appears to Gideon and says, "The Lord is with you, Mighty Warrior". Gideon's first response was, "Huh?  Are you crazy?  The Lord is with me? Look at everything that has happened to us.  How can the Lord be here? I had heard about the miracles of the Lord, but they surely aren't happening now.  Nope, the Lord has forgotten us!"

God calls the obedient...Gideon was hot, sweaty, scraping to provide for His family...being obedient.  God calls us as we're being obedient, just walking with Him.  ("Whoever can be trusted with very little, can be trusted with much."  Luke 16:10)

The LORD turned to him and said, "Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian's hand.  Am I not sending you?"

"But, Lord, how can I save Israel?  My family is the weakest and I am the least in my family."

 God calls the least.  If He's calling you, rest assured that you're probably the most unlikely candidate for the job.  God wants to bring glory to His name.  And, He allows us to be the instruments He uses.

The Lord said to him, "I will be with you and you will destroy the Midianites as if you were fighting against one man."

God can handle our fears...as long as we take them to Him.  Gideon was honest with the Lord.  God longs to meet us in those dark places, calm our fears and say, "I WILL BE WITH YOU!"

The fear isn't over in this story...Gideon will need a lot more assurance of God's call, as we'll find out later.

God's call for me right now, in this moment, is scary.  Everyday relying on Him for a job I am completely unfit to do.  He did the calling...I have to believe that He'll do the empowering and continue to calm my fears each step of the way.

Lord, thank you for this precious call...I trust you for this moment, for your sweet Presence in the midst of the fear. I hear You whispering, "I will be with you!" and I rest.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Listen Up...

At the Discipleship Summit this year Jesus kept telling me in multiple ways to be a better listener... 1. He was a great listener! Isaiah 53-"He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, but he did not say anything." 2. Most of the time when I talk, I regret what I said 3. It's a way to be a servant 4. I can learn alot from other people 5. Listening is the best form of counseling...my response can be prayer! As the Lord began to challenge me with this, I began asking to help me with questions to ask people... In the hot tub that afternoon I met an amazing missionary woman who began asking me about my kiddos. Not only did she ask me about their ages, but she also asked what each of their personalities were like. I had to really think about that question. She was genuinely interested in me and it felt amazing! This is going to take alot of effort, but through the power of the Holy Spirit it can be done! I am trusting that this will change my relationships,  even with my...
Post a Comment
Read more

Praying the Psalms

As the rain  and the snow      come down from heaven, and do not return to it      without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish,      so that it yields seed  for the sower  and bread for the eater, 11  so is my word  that goes out from my mouth:       It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire      and achieve the purpose  for which I sent it.  Isaiah 55:10-11 Last week with our kids was brutal.  I babysat various numbers of kids everyday, had missionaries in from out of town, took the kids to Bible school, had play dates at the park, and had 4 different nights where we had dinner with families from our church. By the end of the week I was ready to lock our children in their rooms.  They were being mean, not wanting to play together, constantly hurting the other one's feelings, saying things I have never...
Post a Comment
Read more

A Promise for Another Year

"I will certainly be with you." Exodus 3:12       It was 2 weeks before we were to start homeschooling again and dread overwhelmed me. Why? Because Isaiah didn't want to homeschool. It was painful to think of another year of trying to convince him that this is what we were called to right now, the best thing for our family.  I met with a friend and she told me about a new grant that enables low income families to go to private school. Perfect! Perhaps this was my answer...Isaiah could go to Heartland Christian School. I was sad that this may be God's answer because I would miss the time with him, but wanted the best for the kids. So, I began the application process. I had an unsettling feeling the entire time. When I stopped to hear from the Lord on the issue, I could hear Him saying, "Heather, I've told you to homeschool, given you the curriculum, answered your fears, and you're still not obeying." Ouch! "Okay, Lord, I'll listen, but ...
Post a Comment
Read more