Courageous Obedience When We Feel Weak and Afraid - The Crosswalk Devotional - October 5
Courageous Obedience When We Feel Weak and Afraid
By Jennifer Slattery
Bible Reading:
When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.”
“Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.”
The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?” Judges 6:13-14, NIV
Have you ever sensed God asking you to do something you knew would be incredibly difficult, say yes, and find yourself in what felt like an impossible situation? One that took every ounce of strength you had, and you still felt like you were perpetually failing?
That was precisely where I landed, years ago, when my husband and I opened our home to a teenager with a really rough background, and numerous behavioral challenges for which we weren’t prepared. As is often the case, this situation came in the middle of an already stressful season, and for the youth, this was an emergency. We were empty nesters at the time, I was leading an international ministry, completing my Christian ministry degree, working to meet numerous writing deadlines, and preparing for speaking engagements I’d accepted long before we answered God’s call to love on this deeply wounded, and incredibly angry teenager. To complicate matters, this was a busy time for my husband as well, as he was doing a lot of traveling for work—leaving me to parent this kid alone. Adding to the chaos was the fact that the teenager hated women and, frankly, was bigger and stronger than me.
As you can imagine, I was more than overwhelmed and, sadly, often reacted to the teenager from my overwhelm rather than allowing God’s love and grace to flow through me. But, on those occasions when I paused my frantic efforts to manage it all in my wisdom and strength and sought God’s presence, I received instant peace, clarity regarding the situation, a Holy Spirit glimpse into the youth’s wounded and frightened heart, and the strength I desperately needed to overcome my fears, insecurities, and unhealthy tendencies.
Reading Gideon’s story, recorded in Judges 6-9, reminded me of that difficult but enlightening season during which I needed to “go in the strength I had”—not so I could win the victory, but rather, so I could reveal Christ’s supernatural strength at work in me and through me.
You might recognize this biblical account. This occurred during a dark period in ancient Israel’s history during which they repeatedly rebelled against God, experienced oppression from other people groups, cried out to the Lord for rescue, received the divine help they so desperately sought, only to rebel against Him yet again.
When Scripture introduces us to Gideon, we find him hiding in a wine press, threshing wheat. His behavior makes sense, considering the circumstances. Judges 6 tells us that the Midianites oppressed ancient Israel for 7 years—destroying their crops and stealing their sheep, goats, cattle and donkeys. Meaning, their source of survival. Facing starvation, the people finally cry out to God. Like I said earlier, He responds by calling Gideon to fight on the nation’s behalf.
He began with these words, “Mighty hero, the Lord is with you!”
He called the man hiding in a winepress a hero—because the Lord saw past Gideon’s current position to the victorious man of God he would become. Then He added, ‘The Lord is with you!”
To which Gideon responds, in essence, “Really? Then why are we in this mess?”
I find it intriguing that God never answers his question. Instead, He issues this directive:
“Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?” (Judges 6:14, NIV, emphasis mine).
He said this during a time when Gideon appeared to possess zero strength and a whole lot of weakness. Yet, as the story continues, we see that this was the point. God wasn’t expecting Gideon to fight his oppressors in his wisdom and strength. He was simply telling him to engage. To obey and allow God’s supernatural strength to flow in him and through him.
Intersecting Life & Faith:
The Lord Himself won the battle. He fights our battles as well. He sees our weakness and understands why we might be figuratively hiding in a winepress. He doesn’t get frustrated by our anxiety, fear, or overwhelm, but neither does He leave us stuck. Instead, He invites us to step out in faith, to go in whatever strength we possess, trusting Him for the victory. Because we aren’t destined to be defeated. As Romans 8:31 states, we are more than conquerors through Him who loves us.
Further Reading:
Romans 8:31-39
Philippians 4:13
2 Corinthians 12:9-10
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/Motortion
Jennifer Slattery is a writer and speaker who co-hosts the Faith Over Fear podcast and, along with a team of 6, the Your Daily Bible Verse podcast. She’s addressed women’s groups, Bible studies, and taught at writers conferences across the nation. She’s the author of Building a Family and numerous other titles and maintains a devotional blog at JenniferSlatteryLivesOutLou
She’s passionate about helping people experience Christ’s freedom in all areas of their lives. Visit her online to learn more about her speaking or to book her for your next women’s event, and sign up for her free quarterly newsletter HERE and make sure to connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and GodTube.
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