When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” ~ Judges 6:12 NIV
We are introduced to Gideon when he’s hiding. He’s threshing wheat in a winepress – not the norm. But because the Midianites and other eastern peoples “invaded the land to ravage it [and] so impoverished the Israelites” they had to hide what little they had, (see Judges 6:1-11, NIV).
Clearly, Gideon was holding onto a lot of pent-up frustration, because when the angel of the Lord said, “The Lord is with you” and then called Gideon a mighty warrior, Gideon didn’t even bat an eyelash. Instead, Gideon began complaining:
“Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about…? But now the Lord has abandoned us…” (v.13).
Have you ever been so wrapped up in your own thoughts, circumstances, and turmoil, that you missed what the Lord was saying to you? Perhaps He said it directly to you, or maybe it was through the encouragement of someone else. If so, you’re in good company. Abram did the same thing:
After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision:
“Do not be afraid, Abram.
I am your shield,
your very great reward.” (Genesis 15:1 NIV)
And similarly to Gideon, Abram replied, “Sovereign Lord, what can you give me…” (Genesis 15:2).
Wow! The Lord had just done some amazing things through and for Abram, but because Abram hadn’t received the one thing he sought after and deeply desired, Abram saw God as too small and too weak.
It was just as true with Gideon as it is with us: When God doesn’t answer our prayers how and when we want, we run the risk of seeing God as too small and weak, and our needs and obstacles as being grandiose and unbeatable.
How do we change that? How do we go back to having faith like a child, the unwavering kind of faith that James talks about? How do we get the mountain-moving faith that Jesus talked about? How do we get the kind of faith that David had, which emboldened him to run out and defeat the giant facing him?
We change our minds by believing what the Lord says.
It’s not complicated, but it can prove challenging.
It will take work.
It will take effort.
It will take perseverance.
Thankfully, the Lord has already been at work developing perseverance in us:
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (James 1:2-4 NIV)
I know what you’re thinking, because I’ve thought it, too: “Aren’t we done, yet?” It’s almost a rhetorical question. It’s like the kids in the backseat, with nothing but miles of road ahead asking, “Are we there yet?” The answer, of course, is no. I once heard a pastor say, “As long as you’re sucking wind on this planet, God still has a purpose and plan for you.” As long as that is true, it’s equally true that the enemy will continue to move against you, to try to stop you.
Now, I know you’re exhausted.
Me too!
I know you’ve been in this battle a long while.
Me too!
But if we’re going to be like David, unafraid and emboldened to run out and fight our giants, then we absolutely MUST, without fail believe what the Lord says about us!
When He says, “You are…” tell yourself, “I am…” until you believe it – and then keep on telling yourself.
When He says, “You will not…” tell yourself, “I will not…” until you believe it – and then keep on telling yourself.
His truths and promises don’t change just because our circumstances do. What you believed – the truth He said to and about you – a few years ago is still true today!
Over the next several weeks, I want to challenge you to come on a journey with me. I don’t really know what it’s going to look like. As with my writing, I don’t know what it will look like ahead of time, and I don’t know how it will end until we’re done.
The Lord said two very important truths that we need to hold onto as we begin:
- The Lord is with us!
- We are mighty warriors!
Over this next week, I challenge you to speak these two truths over yourself, even after you really believe them. As we close today, I want to leave you with the words of David:
Praise be to the Lord my Rock,
who trains my hands for war,
my fingers for battle.
He is my loving God and my fortress,
my stronghold and my deliverer,
my shield, in whom I take refuge …
~ Psalm 144:1-2 NIV
