You Are a Mighty Warrior — Broken & Hopeful

I am grateful there are people throughout the stories in the Bible who are cowardly, fearful, argumentative, and generally have a bad attitude. These stories remind me that it’s not about God having a really strong person in me, but my weakness allowing His strength to be shown. Gideon is one of those people. 

Gideon is scared, and not at all brave when it comes to tackling the idol worship going on in his camp. He doesn’t want to go fight Israel’s enemies and conquer them. He’d rather hide and hope everything comes out ok. 

There are a lot of things I’m scared of, and if I get focused on them, they seem all-consuming. When God asks me to do something, I’m usually first to show Him all the reasons why that something isn’t a good idea. And why I’m not the woman for the job. 

But just like He did with Gideon, God tells me that He will be enough for whatever I am facing. He says that with His presence, I have all I need. 

I would rather He be a little more informative. I would like a bit more of the plan before I start. But often it is the simplicity of reminding me that His presence is what I have, and that is more than sufficient for whatever I face. 

I am comforted by God’s leading like a Shepherd. He moves Gideon from taking down the altar to Baal in his father’s camp to more difficult things like defeating the Midianite army. He keeps reassuring Gideon that He is with him, and that he will not fail. But Gideon still had to choose to do what God asked him to do. He did it with timidity and in the cover of darkness, but he still made the choice. 

In the same way, I have to choose to follow the leading of the Shepherd. I might not be happy about it, and I might make the choice with very little faith—but I do have to choose. In my choice, God encompasses me in His strength through His Spirit, and carries me through. 

I find it interesting that God kept showing up for Gideon’s questions, for each new adventure. He didn’t tell him once and then let him figure it out. God kept asking for Gideon to do hard things, but He definitely showed him His presence each time. I think sometimes I hope that the revelations God has given me for the last battle will be enough for the next one, but He wants to take me deeper and give new revelation of Himself for that new problem. 

The part that really cracks me up is that God calls Gideon a “mighty warrior” as he is hiding in the dark from the Midianites. He calls him to the identity that He sees within Gideon, made possible with God’s strength and power. Gideon is a mighty warrior! And so are you.

Whatever you are facing today, come to Him with all your fear and trepidation, laying it at His feet and asking for Him to be enough. He will not fail—His strength will make you a mighty warrior.

Then Yahweh himself faced Gideon directly and said, “Am I not sending you? With my presence you have all you need. Go in the strength that you now have and rescue Israel from Midian’s power!” Judges 6:14