Scripture to Read: Judges 6:11–18
Our Lord had chosen His judge whom He would use to deliver the nation of Israel. God’s choice at this point in history was Gideon. We read in Judges 6:11–12 that our Lord appeared to Gideon while he was threshing wheat. Our Lord said to Gideon, “The Lord is with you, O valiant warrior.” Note that God called him a “valiant warrior,” giving us a clue as to how God planned to use him. Gideon did not know he was speaking to the Lord God, and Gideon asked Him, if the Lord was with them, then why were they suffering at the hands of the Midianites? The Lord did not answer Gideon’s question but instead placed His call upon him and said, “Go in this your strength and deliver Israel from the hand of Midian. Have I not sent you?” Gideon felt completely inadequate and unworthy, but then, the Lord said to him, “Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat Midian as one man.” God gave Gideon His word that He would be with him and that he would defeat the Midianites as one man. We would think the Lord’s promise would be enough, but Gideon wanted a sign that it was truly God speaking to him. God has already given us a sign of who He is through Christ our Lord. He has also given us the fullness of all His Word to nourish us spiritually, to strengthen us in our intimacy with Him, and to guide us as to how we should live every day. We have no excuse for not following Him.
Challenge & Application
How did God encourage Gideon when He first spoke to him in Judges 6:12, and what did He promise him in Judges 6:16?
How has God encouraged us, and how does He speak to us so that we can live for Him?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!