Dear Church,
Judges 6 is the story of the Call of Gideon. Re-read the chapter and be reminded of these three truths:
- God sees you where you are. God knew all about the situation and condition of Gideon and the Israelite people. When you are feeling squeezed and oppressed and like you are at the end of your rope it can be easy to think that God is unconcerned with your situation, that He isn’t aware of it or that He is unmoved by it. Nothing could be further from the truth, but it can be tempting to conclude God doesn’t care about what we are going through.
- God knows who you (really) are. Gideon looked like anything but a mighty warrior. He was quick to disqualify himself for the job. He didn’t think his family was well-off enough or well-known enough for him to be selected to do anything to help Israel. He wasn’t just being humbled. He truly didn’t feel up to the task.
Listen, when the call of God comes we can’t look at who we are, but we have to trust Who God is and what He can do. God said to Gideon, “Go in the strength you have. I am sending you (verse 14) and verse 16, “I will be with you.” When God calls you, who you are, where you have come from, and what you think of yourself is of no consequence when God says He is sending you and will be with you. God’s call and His presence trumps everything. No, Gideon wasn’t a Mighty Warrior in and of himself, but as he would rely on God’s presence and power, God was transforming him into the Mighty Warrior he would be with God’s help.
- God works with you as you are. I want to highlight verse 14 again when God told Gideon, “Go in the strength you have.” Notice that God didn’t ask Gideon to be like someone else or to try to be someone he wasn’t. So many people think they need to become something different before God can work with them and use them. Gideon is a great example that, that is b-o-l-o-g-n-a.
Following God is a step by step process. Sometimes we will question. Sometimes we will doubt. Sometimes we will take two steps forward and one step back, but if it is in our heart to obey God, He will work with us where we are and move us on in Him as He creates in us Mighty Warriors for His Kingdom. Isn’t that good news?
The call of Gideon is simply a call to take God by the hand and choose to live life as He leads you, one step at a time. It isn’t about being perfect now. It is about being willing now. If you are willing, God will create in you a Mighty Warrior for His glory and for the deliverance of those who are being oppressed by the enemy of their souls.
Pastor Melissa
Rev. Dr. Melissa Pratt
Teays Valley Church of God
6979 Teays Valley Road
Scott Depot, WV 25560
304-757-9222
