Judges

Let's be honest: reading the old Testament can be a little daunting. Jesus hasn't exactly come yet and the Holy Spirit only fills certain people that God chooses to help execute His will. Other than that, we see a lot of sin run rampant, wars take place, and books full of history. But! (There is always a "but,") God's plan is still working and we get all the background knowledge to how David's family line came to be and all the prophecies, we later discover, come true! Every single one! Nevertheless, the Lord led my heart to Judges this past week and told me to dive head in to an unfamiliar section of the Bible. Man, did He have to say a lot.

One of my favorite judges was Gideon. He was, "'the least in [his] family,'" and a part of, "'the weakest [clan] in Manasseh.'" {Judges 6:15}. Ever heard the phrase, "God uses the weak to lead the strong"? or "For when I am weak I am strong"? (Check out my 2 Corinthians post for more details.) God specifically chose Gideon, the least of his family which was in the least tribe of the nation to save everyone. Not only that, God took the thousands upon thousands of men that were supposed to aid Gideon in taking over the Midianites and made his army into 300 men. That's it. God doesn't need many people to work for His good, for all things are possible in Him and He will give you strength exactly when you need it.

As soon as Gideon receives the interpretation of the dream that God will use him to defeat his enemies, Gideon "bow[s] down and worship[s]." {Judges 7:15}. IMMEDIATELY THIS HAPPENS. Gideon does not wait until he has actually conquered his enemies, He does not wait for someone else to start worshiping God and then follows along, instantly, he turns everything back to God! The Lord had provided signs for him before that He exists and will keep Him safe, but yet another prophecy and that is enough for Gideon! My question to myself and you readers is do you do that? Do you instantly glorify God for all the good He brings into your life? For that good test grade? For that good race? For the fact He keeps you safe and brings you home alive every single day? For the fact that you have a voice to sing and call out to Him? etc. For Gideon, it was a big thing, but shouldn't we be praising Him for all things, big and little? 

Finally, the fact that Gideon trusts God so much allows him to hear God's voice. Not only did an angel visit Gideon and give him the news that he would strike down on the Midianites, but after the angel left, God spoke directly to Gideon, bringing words of comfort and peace. "But the Lord said to him, 'Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die.'" {Judges 6:23}. Coming from the Lord of everything ever created, if He told me that I was not going to die, I don't think I could run away from anything He was going to ask me to do. God is the Prince of Peace and tells us that there is no reason to fear for if God is on our side, who could possibly be against us? Who could possibly conquer us if we are fighting in the name of the Lord? This also gives me reassurance that the more time I spend with God, follow through with what He asks of me, praise His name and give me all that I have, I will be spoken to. It takes time and it takes patience, but shown countless times in the Bible, even God speaks and loves the weakest.

Tomorrow is the day that I move into the U and although I could not be any more excited to start a new adventure, doubt likes to creep up on me and say, "You can't do it." Well, with God, I can do anything from talking to strangers to sharing my faith to moving mountains to changing a nation. Therefore, I will not be afraid when adversity comes because it will come, but His love and power is all the more greater.

~Ashlyn