Thursday 17 Apr 2014

April 17: Judges 6:11-16

Key Verse: Judges 6:14
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?”

Devotion:
When the angel of the Lord came to Gideon to tell him he was the one to save Israel, Gideon had a hard time believing this could be possible in the beginning. He knew that he was just a man and that Israel was facing so much at that time; but when he listened to the angel of the Lord, he gained strength in his spirit and was able to stand up for Israel. So often we too do forget just who we are fighting for!

God has not just created everything but He is the one who continues to uphold the weak, support the righteous and make sure that people who are willing to trust in them get their trust fulfilled. It’s not just a case of saying that you will trust in the Lord but doing something about it too. It is so very easy to look at the world around you and fall away from that trust when you have taken those first few steps. But God wants us to have faith in Him and that faith must be real, not just empty words.

I struggle with people who bring politics into church and give in to the ways of the world and political views instead of standing firm with God. Yes it may sound prudent to not rock the boat at times, but when that goes up against Gods ways, then we are not serving our God but demonstrating that we have more faith in the political system than in God.

Gideon made sure that he set time aside to listen to what God wanted him to do. That meant putting aside the earthly ways and allowing God to guide him all the way. Yes Gideon still had his doubts and he asked God to show him a sign that this was all real, but Gideon knew at that stage in his heart that he would follow God’s wishes. God knows what is in your own heart and will give you the strength and wisdom to go out and do what He asks of you – you must have faith in that fact!

Points to Ponder:
Do you continually ask God for signs?

Are you trusting God’s decisions?