Let me rephrase that, I'm guilty of putting God off. Plainly said, I ask and ask for God to speak then at times when He does I'm quick to not listen or not identify it's Him and go on. Then that sinking in your stomach feeling happens and you can't help but grown from the pit of your being ohhhh-awwww. God forgive me, thank you for loving me so much to not leave me there but grow me from it.
I can't help but think of Gideon, God gives him a promise I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites together. Aren't we all like Gideon? The next thing he does is ask God for a sign that it is really him talking. Beloveds, I'm not saying we should haphazardly listen to every voice we hear. There a lots of voices speaking that we should not listen to, God tells us to have discernment. That's why it's so important for us to have an intimate relationship with God and rely on His Spirit to guide us. We have to fully rely on God as our source and His spoken word (Rhema) will always line up with his written word (Logos).
Back to Gideon - We pick back up in Judges 7 through the process of the promise God gave to Gideon, God continues to peel away the number of fighting men from Gideon. We don't get very far in chapter 7 verse 2 God tells him, "You have too many men for me to deliver Midian into their hands. In order that Israel may not boast against me that her own strength saved her..." For God to get the glory in our battles there are times when He sifts people away from us. God instructs Gideon to take the men down to the water and to separate those who lap the water with their tongues like a dog from those who kneel down to drink (verses 5-6) God reduced the fighting number from 32,000 to 300, with a group this small there would be no doubt that this was a God sized victory. The 300 were willing to lap the water but knelt down to drink it, which put them in a strategic position to still be on guard ready to battle.
Hold on... have you been there? Are you there now? There is a battle before you and God starts peeling away the support? The job? The friends? Those who committed to be with you till the end? You feel abandoned, rejected you name it, an emotional mad house. A place where your emotions get the best of you and you are ruled by them. The void seems ever so deep and yet never full. A place of desperation, oh but if you have found yourself there what a gift that can be when we allow ourselves to go there. You see Gideon could have jumped onto that emotional roller coaster but he didn't. He stayed connected with God and he was obedient to the directions God gave. No matter what path you find your self on, when we totally abandon ourselves and submit to the work of God in our lives He gets the glory.
Don't expect it will come in man made form - glory that is. God's ways are so far above anything we could ever ask or think. He tells us to give when we don't have, step out of the boat when there is water all around. For Gideon he thinned out his support, Gideon's response? He trusted God, he got up and went when God told him to go, he overhead a man tell of a dream he had and was encouraged (verses 9-15) and his response? He worshiped God.
In my opinion the most bizarre part of this story is when Gideon returns to the camp of Israel and tells everyone to "get up the Lord has given the Midianite camp into your hands" he divides the 300 men into 3 groups and places trumpets and empty jars in their hands with torches inside. Gideon tells them "watch me and follow my lead and do exactly as I do". They proceed to blow their trumpets and shout, "For the Lord and for Gideon" they blow their trumpets and brake the jars with their hands taking the torches in their left hand and holding their right hands the trumpets they began to blow and shouted "A sword for the Lord and for Gideon" and held their position around the camp. And what happened? The Lord caused the Midianite men throughout the camp to turn on each other with their swords.
I have to be honest, as I sit here and type I want to run to my kitchen find an empty Mason jar, stick a candle in it and call the school to have my son bring home his trumpet and go and have me a time running towards my enemy!
But I can't, I have to be willing to bend my knee to the Almighty God and drink of His river of life. I must pick up the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. And incline my ear to hear His voice. Then I must go and do what it is He has called me to do and I must be the person He has created me to be. I must not be afraid when darkness comes near or when the enemy unleashes an attack.
The words of Gideon are a foreshadow of Christ, "watch me and follow my lead and do exactly as I do". Jesus gave up His life for us.
Our response should be,
God, through the work of your son Jesus and by the power of your precious Holy Spirit come and sit upon the throne of my life because that is a place only you can fill.
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