“Now the angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press to hide it from the Midianites. And the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, “The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor.” And Gideon said to him, “Please, sir, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our fathers recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has forsaken us and given us into the hand of Midian.” And the Lord turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; do not I send you?” And he said to him, “Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.” Judges 6:11-15 ESV
People often think of Gideon as a great champion for Israel, which he was. But when he was chosen, he was found in the wine press. He was hiding from God. He was a fearful man. He had a negative attitude about what God expected from him. He doubted what God was going to do. And to top all that off he was questioning God's plan for his life. Ever been there in your own life? Been hiding from your calling? Were you afraid? Did your attitude stink worse than last week's fish sandwich? Did doubt stop you dead in your tracks and cause you to question the things you knew in your heart to be right and true?.....
Yeah, me too.
While you might want to be critical of Gideon, I have found that the only people who never question are those who have been indoctrinated not to. Sometimes you need to doubt. Sometimes you need to question. In fact, a lot of uncertain times can be the seeds in which your faith grows from. Just because you question the plan or doubt the outcome doesn't mean that God can't or won't use it.
If you find yourself struggling with doubts about who you are or what God expects from you, don't panic. When you sincerely search for the answers to the questions, god will meet you when you least expect it, and He will water the seeds of faith that are planted deep in that situation. He won't always give you all the answers and explanations but He will reward you if you are faithful.
People often think of Gideon as a great champion for Israel, which he was. But when he was chosen, he was found in the wine press. He was hiding from God. He was a fearful man. He had a negative attitude about what God expected from him. He doubted what God was going to do. And to top all that off he was questioning God's plan for his life. Ever been there in your own life? Been hiding from your calling? Were you afraid? Did your attitude stink worse than last week's fish sandwich? Did doubt stop you dead in your tracks and cause you to question the things you knew in your heart to be right and true?.....
Yeah, me too.
While you might want to be critical of Gideon, I have found that the only people who never question are those who have been indoctrinated not to. Sometimes you need to doubt. Sometimes you need to question. In fact, a lot of uncertain times can be the seeds in which your faith grows from. Just because you question the plan or doubt the outcome doesn't mean that God can't or won't use it.
If you find yourself struggling with doubts about who you are or what God expects from you, don't panic. When you sincerely search for the answers to the questions, god will meet you when you least expect it, and He will water the seeds of faith that are planted deep in that situation. He won't always give you all the answers and explanations but He will reward you if you are faithful.
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