Go in the strength you have… and I will be with you. Judges 6:14a, 16b.
I think of these verses from Judges 6 often… “Go in the strength you have, am I not sending you?… I will be with you.” Just as Gideon was the least member of the weakest tribe, I am no one in the grand scheme of things. There is nothing at all in my natural self that is capable of accomplishing anything for the Lord. Before He started knocking on all my doors and windows, I did everything I could to check out of my unhappy life. And yet, God saw me sitting under the threshing tree, and gave me hope that I was made for more.
I remember having a conversation with God when I was five years old. I don’t remember Him talking back, or even what I said in that moment, but I remember knowing He was there and that He was listening. I have somehow known that all my life.
Maybe it was because my mother gave me to the Lord as a baby, dedicating my life to Him like Hannah did with Samuel in 1 Samuel 1:27-28… “I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of Him. So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord.”
Maybe it was because my grandfather dreamed of Jesus. I have also dreamed of Jesus, and though I am the least member of my own weakest tribe, I desire to serve the Lord with everything I am all the days of my life. Just as I shared in “Keep On Loving Others,” we show our love to Him as we love and serve other believers, and He will never forget it.
No matter where you have come from, it does not in any way determine who you are or where you are meant to go in God’s hands. His plans for you are greater than you could ever imagine! You may not know it or feel it now, but He has already planted His desires and passions in your heart… He has already seen the path set before you, and He has a plan to get you from here to there. From His perspective, it’s already done. He has already gone before you!
The journey He will lead you on will still take faith, trust, repentance, refinement, obedience, and so much grace to get there, but you will never have to do it alone.
GOD PROVED HIMSELF TO GIDEON
The angel of the Lord appeared to [Gideon] and said, “Mighty hero, the Lord is with you!“
Judges 6:12
I wholeheartedly adore God’s interactions with Gideon. He was just a guy sitting under a tree threshing wheat in a winepress. Why did God choose him? Because He delights to show His strength through human weakness… and because He saw something in Gideon that no one else could even begin to… Vision, Purpose, and the Power of a transformed life.
But when the Angel of the Lord sat down for a visit, Gideon was discouraged, and possibly even bordering on bitter.
The first words out of God’s mouth were filled with VISION… “The Lord is with you, mighty hero…” but Gideon couldn’t quite grasp that, and he was completely honest about it. “If God is with us, why has all of this happened to us?… Where are His mighty wonders now?… The Lord has abandoned us and given us over to our enemies” (v.13).
The Lord didn’t scold Gideon or get angry with him. He simply went on to His next statement. He understood Gideon’s emotions, and knew where he was coming from. Gideon had to hide wheat or the Midianites would confiscate it. They had destroyed Israel and left no food for them, no plants and no animals. No wonder Gideon was upset.
But in His kindness, God smooths over our rough edges.
God’s second statement was filled with PURPOSE… “Then the Lord turned to him and said, ‘Go with the strength you have, and rescue Israel… I am sending you!’” but Gideon could only feel his own weakness in light of God’s calling. “How can I save Israel? I’m the weakest in my whole family!” (v.15).
Sometimes when God comes down in all of His greatness to speak vision and purpose over our lives, we shrink back because all we can see is our own image in the mirror. We say, “I can’t accomplish your vision, Lord. I’m too small, and I don’t know how to do it!” But if we will put the mirror down and focus on the Lord, we will realize that He does not come to us so that we can accomplish His works in our own strength. He comes so that we will humble ourselves, put ourselves aside, and allow HIM to work through us.
It’s very much not about us. It’s all about Him.
It was God’s third statement, full of His great POWER, that finally began to peak Gideon’s interest… “I will be with you! And you will destroy the Midianites as if you were fighting against one man.” So Gideon prepared his offering for the Lord, placed it on a rock, and “fire flamed up from the rock and consumed all he had brought” (v.21).
Gideon was still afraid and anxious, but he did what was right before God. Our proper response to God’s vision, purpose, and power will always be to bring all we have to the table and pour it out as an offering to Him. We pour it on the Rock, who is Christ, and He devours it with fire by the power of His Spirit, not ours…
Our loving Father spent the next several verses patiently proving Himself to Gideon. Gideon tested the Lord three times, and each time He never skipped a beat. He waited, He met Gideon right where he was. In the middle of his every doubt, and his “are you serious right now?” moments, God was not phased. He met Gideon with purpose in mind, just like He always does with us, and He would never leave Gideon alone to accomplish it all by himself.
And if He wouldn’t do it to Gideon, He won’t do it to you. “For God does not show partiality… with Him, one person is not more important than another” (Romans 2:11 AMP). He can be trusted!
GOD EMPOWERED GIDEON
You may not have much to start with. Your history or family situation may not be ideal for what you believe the Lord is asking you to do. Or you might not have realized that He created you for more than what you are experiencing today…
More life, more joy, and a deeply fulfilling purpose…
But when you are thinking about your weakness or smallness in light of God’s vision, purpose, and power, remember to put the mirror down… and think of Gideon:
- Give God your honest questions. He can take it. He already knows you have them, He’s just waiting for you to trust Him. He is strong enough to patiently meet you exactly where you are, and lead you back to peace.
- Give God your doubts and fears. He can’t help us if we won’t talk to Him about it. How can He work with a desperate, depressed, stressed out “least member of the weakest tribe?” By taking what we honestly and openly confess to Him… meeting us where we trust Him… and turning it for our good and His glory. He is more than able.
- Bring your whole offering to the Lord. Maybe you have a big dream, or maybe you are living in survival mode, threshing secret wheat in a winepress like Gideon. The truth is that God wants to take your secret wheat and bring it out into the open. You are a mighty hero in God’s eyes. He is the only one who can clearly see all that has been hidden inside of you for way too long, all that is desperate to finally be birthed into your life. That is His purpose for you… to bring it out and put it to good use. For your good, the good of others, and for His glory.
Yes, Gideon doubted and tested God over and over again, but in the end, Gideon believed and obeyed the Lord. And the most beautiful part of this story, to which I hope you will hold tightly as you begin or continue your own journey, is this… “So the Spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon [and empowered him]” and he blew a trumpet to summon an army.
By the power of God’s weapons and the strength of His right arm, Gideon’s 300 men defeated a trained army of 132,000 men… complete with chariots and swords… with clay pots, trumpets and torches. And when it came down to it, the Lord caused Midian to fight among themselves. He supernaturally brought confusion into the enemy’s camp, and Gideon defeated the Midianites like he was fighting one man, just like God said he would.
The message I see in all of this is that we were made for more than we realize, and that God can be trusted. Yes, He is holy, He is powerful, and He is worthy of our deepest awe and respect… but He is also patient, understanding, and kind. It’s His kindness that draws us to Him. So don’t let fear hold you back. Don’t let shame hold you back. Pray, trust God, and move forward. That’s all it takes… and He is with you.
“I am no one,” but it’s not about me. I have nothing in me that is at all capable of accomplishing anything the Lord wants to do through my life… and yet I move forward. Yes, I’m smart and hardworking. Yes, I’m a fighter. But before the Lord changed my life, I spent every day with my head firmly buried in the sand. I did everything I could to check out. It wasn’t until God started knocking on my door that I ever hoped for anything more…
‘Cause I wasn’t made to be tending a grave, I was called by name
Born and raised back to life again, I was made for more
So why would I make a bed in my shame
When a fountain of grace is running my way?
I know I am Yours, and I was made for more
~ Made for More, Bethel Music, 2024
Broken & Sown 