Go In the Strength That You Have, Week 8 Day 3, Judges 5-7

Go In the Strength That You Have, Week 8 Day 3, Judges 5-7

This morning I tied my shoes.  Pretty impressive, huh!  Yeah, maybe not.  Do I get extra points when I tell you that while slicing veggies for dinner last night I also sliced off a small sliver from the tip of my right thumb?  Not a big deal except it keeps bleeding so it’s all bandaged up and I’m basically down to one usable thumb for a day or so.  I can get the rabbit to go around the tree okay but having a tough time getting him to go into the hole with only one usable thumb.  I managed.  But it reminded me that there was a time way, way back when that tying my shoes was a note worthy achievement.  Ok, way, way, way, way back.

Today at work I’ll be writhing quotes for technical products with relative ease.  I’ll get quotes and negotiate with software and hardware vendors for an upcoming server upgraded.  I’ll review our returns and RMA processes for some improvements and automation that will happen once our server and software upgrades are completed.  Not working on my resume or anything.  Just want to point out that I’m doing these things as a matter of my daily routine.  But there was a time when I didn’t know how to do any of them.

But I learned.  Somewhere along my career path a supervisor said, “I want you to look at this process.” or “I want you to work on this project.”  I’d never done it before.  I really didn’t know how to do it.  But I did it.  Maybe not perfect, but I did it.  And I learned.  I got a little experience which lead to more experience and learning more new things. 

Most of the time this was all helped along by a boss, a supervisor or a mentor who believed I could do it, who guided me through it, helped me when I had questions, and relied on me to do the job.  Those people were with me, guiding me, directing me, encouraging me all along the way.  Good bosses, good supervisors push our limits and help us to learn to do things that we’ve never done before.

Yet somehow when it comes to doing new things in our Christina walk we think that the God who created us, the God who loves us, the God who saved us, is going to throw us out of the boat into deep water without any swimming lessons or even water wings.  “Good luck!” God calls as He rows away.  Leaving us there in the deep water to either sink or swim, alone.  That’s not how it works.

In today’s passage an angel appears to Gideon and tells him, “The Lord is with you mighty warrior.”  Gideon is not convinced, to put it mildly.  The people have been under the Midianites for seven years, oppressed, hiding.  So Gideon asks, “if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us?  Where are all the wonders that our fathers told us about when the said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and put us into the hand of Midian.”

God’s reply is classic.  “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out the Midian’s hand.  Am I not sending you?”  Gideon counters that his clan of Manasseh is the weakest and he is the least in his family.  “How can I save Israel?”  The Lord’s answer, “I will be with you.”  There still some negotiations, the wet fleece dry fleece thing.  But God’s really already answered the question.

“I’ve given you the strength that you need.  And I will be with you.”

I think back on my Christian walk and service.  There were a lot of firsts.  There was the first time I led a Bible study.  There was the first time I taught a class at church.  There was the first time I shared my faith with another.  There was the first time I trained people to visit others who had visited our church and how to share their faith.  There was that first sermon that ever I preached.  And most of this was done under the loving and firm mentoring of Pastor Allen Newman.  That man made a huge difference in my life. 

By the grace of God Pastor Allen was able to not only see what I could do, he was able to see what I would do.  And he was with me every step for the way.  He shared in my successes.  He shared in my failures.  He encouraged me to try new things and grow.  He was by side of me every step of the way.

Gideon was successful.  He didn’t have a large army.  He started with thirty two thousand.  God whittled that down in short order.  First twenty two thousand left, down to ten thousand.  Then He cuts another nine thousand seven hundred based on how they drink water.  (Sounds like some of the aptitude tests I took in high school.)   With those three hundred men and following God’s direction, Gideon leads them to victory.  Not because Gideon was the strongest.  Not because Gideon came from the best family.  Not because Gideon was a great hero.  Not because Gideon was a great general. 

Gideon was successful because God was with him and he followed God’s direction.  Sometimes you may hear God directly.  Sometimes He will give you direction through His Word.  Sometimes He’ll bring you your own Pastor Allen Newman to guide and direct you.  However He guides you, when you walk with God and go where He calls you to go, your strength will always be enough. 

God, You’ve been with me every step on my Christian walk.  I’ll confess that there have been times that I haven’t paid attention to You, Your Presence, Your direction.  Sometimes I was scared thinking You’d asked too much of me.  Honestly, often I just got distracted by my things in my life.  But You’ve always been there.  And my strength, the strength that You gave me, has always been sufficient.  At least when I was with You and following You direction.  As You’ve said in Your Word, “I’ve given you the strength that you need.  And I will be with you.”  Amen

Leonard