When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, "The Lord is with you, mighty warrior."
"But sir, Gideon replied, if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our fathers told us about when they said, did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt? But now the Lord has abandoned us and put us into the hand of Midian." Judges 6:12-13
Gideon threshed wheat in a winepress to keep from being discovered and victimized by the Midianites. Nothing was going right. Every year the Midianites swooped down during threshing season and stole his harvest, stealing everything his family needed to survive. It happened every year. Gideon didn’t feel like a mighty warrior, he felt hopeless and abandoned by God.
Maybe you can relate to Gideon in this passage. You’ve done the best you know how to do and yet find yourself in a less-than-perfect situation. You may share Gideon’s words—if the Lord is with me, why has this happened? I believed in you— why did my marriage fall apart, why is my child rebelling, why the cancer? If you’re really with me, why did all these bad things happen to me? If I’m a mighty warrior, why am I still tormented by the enemy?
This doubt carries a familiar ring to it—think how the serpent tempted Eve and said, "Did God really tell you not to eat the forbidden fruit?" We all face it sooner or later—"Does God really care about me?"
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," Gideon asked, "how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family." Judges 6:14-15
God’s answer? Go in the strength you have. It doesn’t matter if you are the strongest or the weakest for God will be with you and help you. It’s in the going that you find deliverance. That first toe into the water of the Red Sea before the waters part, the prayer for forgiveness when you feel beyond redemption, the hope of healing though sickness still torments your body, the belief that God will make a way where there is no way. Go in the strength you have and see the victory of Almighty God. Don’t wait for more strength—go in what you have. Use the gifts and talents already in your hand and step out in faith. Believe God will fill in the gaps and make up the difference—He will.
You can read the rest of the story in Judges 6. Gideon stepped out with only the promise of God on his side. It was enough. It will be enough for you as you face today’s battle.
Copyright Candace Simar
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