March 28
Today's Reading: Judges 4-6; Luke 4:31-44
Today's Thoughts: An Answer to Prayer
Then he said, "O Lord God of my master Abraham, please give me success this day, and show kindness to my master Abraham. Behold, here I stand by the well of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. Now let it be that the young woman to whom I say, 'Please let down your pitcher that I may drink,' and she says, 'Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink'--let her be the one You have appointed for Your servant Isaac. And by this I will know that You have shown kindness to my master." Genesis 24:12-14
The prayer that Abraham’s servant prayed is called a “fleece.” The New Unger’s Dictionary describes a fleece as “the wool of a sheep, whether on the living animal, shorn off, or attached to the flayed skin.” The miracle of Gideon’s fleece (Judges 6:37-40) consisted of the dew having soaked the fleece once, without any on the ground, whereas at another time the fleece remained dry while the ground was wet with dew.
Literally, fleece means the wool of a sheep. However, today we call certain prayers a “fleece” because Gideon used a “fleece” (or the wool of sheep) to have God confirm His will in a specific manner to him: the fleece needed to be wet even though the ground was dry and then the fleece needed to remain dry even though the ground was wet.
It is controversial in the church today if “fleeces” are okay to pray. I, personally, have asked God for many fleeces because I wanted God’s clear direction in making decisions. There have been prayers that I have prayed for years without any need of a sign. But there have been others that I have prayed and received verses and confirmation, but I still want clear direction. Then, one day, out of the blue, it is on my heart to pray a fleece. And I have clearly seen God move to prove to me His will. Just know that when you pray a fleece, you are accountable to God to carry through His answer. I have learned not to flippantly pray for a fleece. I ask for wisdom, I pray for wise counsel from others, I search His Scriptures and pray continually before resorting to a fleece. I am this hesitant because sadly I have to say that God has been more faithful to answer my fleeces than I have been faithful to be obedient once the fleece was answered. Dealing with the consequences of not following the Lord was more difficult than not knowing His will in a matter and just trusting Him for the outcome.
God is a personal God and He wants to answer specific prayers. He will lead you. He will answer you. He loves you to seek His specific will. And He promises to answer when we call. If He doesn’t answer your fleece, then it wasn’t time to ask for one. Keep trusting as you ask, seek and knock. The door will be opened and you will know the answer, if you really want to know it or not! But, once you know, be careful to be obedient!
Daily Disciples Ministries, Inc., founded by Tonilee Adamson and Bobbye Brooks, embraces a vision to reach the world for Christ by teaching others how to be His daily disciples. Their mission is to evangelize the lost and to re-awaken the saved to live lives empowered by the Word of God and His Holy Spirit, and to teach and to train those who desire to grow, to serve and to have all that God has for them…encouraging everyone to be a daily disciple of Jesus Christ. From Bible studies to daily devotionals to daily radio programs to a comprehensive discipleshipprogram, Bobbye & Tonilee have a passion to help others apply the Word of God to their lives every day.