Today's Devotion
From Mike MacIntosh
Gideon said to Him, "O my Lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, 'Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?' But now the Lord has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites." Then the Lord turned to him and said, "Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?" So he said to Him, "O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house." And the Lord said to him, "Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man."
Judges 6:13-16
Do you ever feel reluctant to do something you know God has told you to do? God promised to be with Gideon, but here we see that he's a little reluctant to do what God asked of him. Even though God gave Gideon a word of encouragement, he responds back with a word of sarcasm. In verse 13, we see that Gideon questions God; "If you're with us then why is all of this happening to us?" Then again, in verse 15 he says, "How can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest."There are a lot of sarcastic people in the world today when it comes to the things of God, and at times we, too, feel just like Gideon did here--we ask, "If God's with me, why am I going through this?" But the good thing we see here about Gideon is that he knew God's Word. Notice that after he questioned God, he actually knew the answer; Gideon recognized that it was God's miracles that delivered the Israelites out of bondage. And although he felt unsure and reluctant about God's plans for him, he knew God's word was true. You see, faith is believing in the unseen. Hebrews 11:1 says that faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of the things not seen.
If you have God in your life, no matter what comes your way, He's your shield; He's between you and this world. And no matter how mean, how ugly, how trying and testing this world is, rely on God's Word for strength when you feel reluctant. 1 Corinthians 10:13 tells us:
"No temptation [or testing] has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make a way of escape, that you may be able to bear it."
God is speaking to you today--even right this minute--about the things in your life. Listen to Him. Don't get sarcastic with Him. Don't be reluctant or hesitant to do what He's asking of you. Live by faith and trust Him that He is doing the very best for you.
Posted via email from ..................The Last Call Digest
