Gideon's Travels

  Today I was reading Judges 6-8, which was a required passage for my role in the church that I attend, and discovered something interesting (which really has nothing to do with why I was supposed to read these chapters, funny huh).  Here are the Israelites doing everything they are not supposed to do, while being harassed on every side by the Midianites.  It is only when things get so bad that they have to hid in caves that  they finally begin to cry out to God, who then sends a prophet to remind them of what He had done for them in the past. Isn't it just like us to cry and moan to God about our circumstances when things are never going our way.
  It was then that God sent an angel to Gideon who said  " hail Gideon, mighty man of valor, The Lord is with you (sorry Marilyn's translation)." I can just picture the look on his (Gideons) face thinking who me (while looking around to see who else is there).are you talking to me. Me, a mighty man of valor, I don't think so.  I am just a lowly wheat thresher.  Then Gideon begins to remember stories from his childhood and asks the angel " if the Lord is with us then why are we suffering like we are.. Whats the deal.."  Can't you just hear it now.  "Why is this happening to me.. oh whoa'se me (big sigh).." However, the Angel of the Lord says to Gideon " you know what, go in this might of yours and you will save Israel from the Midianites."  So here's what Gideon does.. instead of saying yes Lord we will do it, he questions whether or not this is really God talking..   Sound familiar...He puts a fleece out there and asks that if this is really God speaking make the fleece wet and the ground dry.  That happens the next morning. However, instead of being satisfied with that he still needs further assurance.  So now he wants the fleece dry and the ground wet.  How many times to do this.  We say okay Lord I'll do it however I am not quite sure I heard you right so if you would just give me a sign, then I will know.  God gives a sign, "Out of the mouth of two or thee witnesses let it be established (Matt 18:16).   Then God gives you what you asked for and our insecurity creeps in and we say "well I am still not sure, how about another sign." We chalk it up to coincidence and forget that we are suppose to walk by faith and not by sight.  We never stop to think that when we hear from God, and then ask for a sign  He gives that sign and we don't believe it so we ask for another sign.  Wonder if we know that we question His integrity when we don't step out.. Where is our faith...
   Gideon goes on to win a great victory with a very small army.  Like David and Goliath, he went in response to what the Lord had told him to do and won.  Gideon had to give God the glory because he knew that there was no way he could have won any battle with so few men.  So when God asks us to do something that is so huge we don't see how it will get done, we need to have faith that Our God can handle it.
  As we look to our Lord and Savior to give us what we need to fulfill the tasks that HE has asked us to do, we need not second guess Him.  We need to step out in faith and  know that God has promised to never leave us or forsake us.  So we can stand knowing that what we heard Him ask us to do He will equip us with whatever we need to get the job done.
  So I march on and on and on...........


By the way I did ask several questions however, my question mark button on this computer is stuck :(  oh well. Gotta fix that