13 Gideon said to Him, “O my lord,[a] if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.”
Judges 6:-11-13 (NKJV)
Have you ever found yourself asking God similiar questions and coming to the same conclusion as Gideon? I have! Imagine that. We talk about being small and weak but we have the cheekiness to ask the Lord God Almighty such questions, especially after He calls us a "mighty hero".Do we really think God is going to clap His hand to His forehead and say, "Oh dear, I am sooooo sorry! I made a mistake. I thought you were someone else."? Of course not!
Gideon deserved to be... well, fortunately God did not give Gideon what he deserved. He gave Gideon mercy and grace along with a great deal of patience. God knew Gideon was afraid but He also knew that Gideon would eventually face his fears and trust God. Which requires more faith? Going into battle against the enemy with complete confidence or going into battle against the enemy even though you are afraid? That's an interesting question to ponder and one you should ask yourself the next time you are bemoaning your lack of faith and yet still being obedient and clinging to God.
How did God respond to Gideon's questions? The Bible tells us, Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?” (Judges 6:14).
Gideon, being like us, had more questions. He wanted to know how he could be expected to rescue Israel. His clan was the weakest one in his tribe and he, Gideon, was the least in his entire family. As far as Gideon was concerned, he was a weakling, a nobody.
God loves to use people who know they are weaklings and nobodies. Why? Because they understand they cannot possibly rely on their own strength. It's not enough and they know it. Did you notice, however, that God told Gideon to go with the strength he had? What was Gideon's strength? The seed of faith.Although he is only mentioned briefly, Gideon gained a place in Hebrews 11, which is often referred to as "The Faith Chapter" in the same verse as another man of faith, David.
David was also called to face the enemy. This time it was not in the form of the Midianite army. It was the Philestines and they had brought a reinforcement with them named Goliath. We do not find David hiding in the winepress. There is no record of David questioning God. In fact, David refuses to wear Saul's armor and instead goes out to meet the enemy with what he had; a sling, five stones and most important of all, God.
One man seems to have trusted God from the get-go. The other man, well, he needed a bit more convincing, however in the end both men trusted God, stepped forward with the strength they had and God delivered the enemy into their hands.
God does not get angry at you for being weak and afraid. He already knows you are, whether you think you are or not. What He wants you to do is to dare to trust Him, take what He has already given you and go forward with the strength you have. When you do, God will deliver the enemy into your hands.
Blessings!
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