Gideon

Do you ever feel small and weak? Like you can't live up up the expectations of people have on you? Gideon felt that way. In Judges 6-7. we read about his story. The Israelites were doing evil in God's sight. God put them in the dominion of Midian for 7 years. The people of Israel hid out in the mountains. The Midians left them nothing to live on. They were reduced to poverty. They called out to God and He spoke to Gideon through an Angel. Gideon replied. But Lord,” Gideon replied, “how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least in my entire family!” Judges 6:15. Gideon asked the Angel for several signs to prove that God would help Him and was truly speaking to him. All the signs that Gideon asked for was completed so Gideon complies. Sounds like us, right? We keep asking God for show up before we can trust him. Gideon, only after seeing that was truly God speaking to him complied.

Gideon gathered a huge army to fight Midian. God said he had too many, and asked him to ask his soldiers if they wanted to go home, and 22,000 of them went home. The number is now 10,000 but God says it is still too big. Only 300 soldiers were left to fight Midian. Remember how large it was at the beginning. To make a long story short, Gideon splits his 300 men into 3 groups. He gave each man a rams' horn and told them to shout exactly what they were to say, "For the Lord and for Gideon." (verse 17). They began at midnight by breaking clay jars. and played their rams' horn. They had torches lighting the sky. The Midians ran out, panicking and shouting as they escaped.

I think we are a lot like Gideon. In fact, Gideon is my favorite story in the Bible. I often feel like Gideon. I feel small. I question if I can do all that is expected of me. There were many times in college I doubted that I'd actually graduate. Yet, the God of Gideon is our God. He says if He tells us to do something, He will give us the resources to get it done. We do not have to have signs done for us like Gideon to prove we can trust God. We have stories just like Gideon's all throughout the Bible to show us God is on our side. He is for us and and we are not alone. The Bible proves God is trustworthy 100% of the time.