Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go with the strength you have, and rescue Israel from the Mideonites. I am sending you!” Judges 6:14 NLT
How strong do you feel right now? Right this minute. I am winding down from a busy shift at the hospital and then home through traffic. I am not feeling very strong at all right now.
You don’t need to have a physically demanding job to feel your strength sapping. Illness, stress, family concerns, financial issues and even clutter can be draining.
Gideon was in hiding, secretly threshing grain in a winepress in hopes of providing food for his family while remaining unseen by the marauding Mideonites who came regularly to take absolutely everything from Israel. Under normal circumstances, threshing grain would be a physically demanding task, but to do it in hiding, in a place not built for threshing grain would make it even more challenging. How much strength was Gideon expending just to provide enough for his family to simply survive?
Imagine you are a single parent working two or three jobs. You climb out of your car, arms laden with groceries and there is an angel waiting in your garage. After telling you not to freak out (because let’s be honest, you would) he says, God wants you to go and find new housing for residents of a nursing home who are suffering abuse and neglect. Right now, with the strength you have in that moment. Imagine how your mind and body would scream, reminding you how exhausted and worn out you are, that this task is way beyond doable. Seems impossible, right? You were just wondering how you were going to get supper on the table, homework supervised and laundry completed before falling into bed for a few short hours. Now you are being asked to do this?
But then the angel of the Lord says, God is sending you. That makes you stand a little straighter, and confidence seeps in to your mind. Just knowing that God thinks you can do this, that He believes in you, brings strength physically and mentally.
God reassures Gideon that he would not have to win this battle alone. Verse 14 says, ‘The Lord said to him, “I will be with you. And you will destroy the Midianites as if you were fighting against one man.”
I encourage you to read the rest of this amazing story of an ordinary working man who was used by God to defeat this oppressive army and free Israel. What God did for Gideon, he can and will do for you to complete His calling in your life.
God is asking me to do things in this season that are so far beyond my comfort zone and my level of strength. I haven’t seen an angel in my garage, but still, I know it is Jesus tugging at me to do these things. So I say yes, and offer the sacrifice of the strength I have for His purpose. What is the thing God is asking you to do that seems more than what you have strength for? It could be mentoring someone struggling, expanding your ministry, changing jobs, going back to school, fostering a child or even mending a broken family relationship. God will never call you to do something without accompanying you on the journey. Take what strength you have and say yes to Jesus. As you step out in obedience, the God of all strength will walk alongside you, empowering you through to victory.
