Our e-bulletin text today comes from Judges 6 and 7 as these chapters record the events which brought Gideon to complete trust in God. As we speak this month about courageous love, we need to be reminded that one of the most important ingredients of courageous love is trust in God. As His children, we are willing to go to war in His army because we trust that He is with us, that He works all things for good and that he hears our prayers, Consider these points from the lessons in Gideon’s life.
- God had work for Gideon to do that would take courageous love including great trust in God. We like Gideon have much to do for God. Not only does it require dedication to persevere in our work, but we also must trust. Seeking God first sometimes involves risking our job or a friendship. But not seeking him first always risks our soul (actually loses it).
- God proved himself to Gideon. When Gideon questioned God about whether it was really Him speaking and wanted to see God’s power manifested, God obliged. God has always been willing to be put to the test (1 Thess. 5:21).In providing us the world as proof of His existence and His Word with all of its many avenues that prove itself to be His word, we can confidently believe and trust God.
- Gideon’s full trust came with experience by proof. Many do not give God a chance. We limit God with our lack of faith and willingness to accept the abundant proofs which he Has made available. God has never asked for blind faith, but he does expect reasoned acceptance of the obvious, i.e. His existence and the truth of the Bible.
- God measures by a different standard. I am sure that from Gideon’s viewpoint, he wanted all the men he had (and more) to fight the Midianites whose numbers were as “grasshoppers for multitude.” Even the souls under the altar in Revelation 6:10 were seeing that they were defeated until God took a hand. But for God, every soul that died for faith was a victory (Rev. 14:13). Let us try to learn God’s word so well that we judge from His viewpoint if we can.
- God plus His army, though small, is always victorious. Man does not always think about the part that God can play in any righteous endeavor and often we think very small. God sees great victories with small numbers. He never forgets that He is the one who make the difference in victory and defeat. Romans 8:31, “If God be for us, who can be against us?”
We can trust that God always takes care of us, in life or death. We can have courageous love.
Mike Glenn (e-bulletin 1-8)