MIGHTY WARRIOR
part two
RELYING
“You, O God, are their glorious strength! It pleases You to make us strong! Yes our protection comes from the Lord!” Psalm 89:17-18a

Gideon was afraid. He was terrified. A mighty army had camped inside their borders. More camels than could be counted. A massive camp that stretched as far as the eye could see. And they were coming against Israel to wreck havoc, as they did every year at the time of harvest. The time when men, women and children fled to the mountains and took shelter in caves and crevices while the giant of an enemy plundered their crops and homes.

But Gideon wasn’t running this time. God had moved him and he had blown the ram’s horn calling together men for an army. This hadn’t happened in a long time. There had been no deliverer, no one to fight for many years. God had chosen Gideon to deliver Israel from this oppressive army. But Gideon was shaking in his sandals.

Yes, he’d just had a victory. After he had gotten things right with the Lord and turned back to worshipping the one true God, his new Lord had given him a job. A difficult job of destroying his father’s alter of baal. Oh my, he not only was going against the god of his people but he was defying his father.

Nonetheless he did it! That in itself amazes me. He took ten of his servants and he smashed the alter to baal and all the idols. Then he offered his dad’s bull on the new alter he built. Isn’t that ironic? The baal keeper’s bull being offered in sacrifice to the one true God of the universe.

Not only that but God worked a miracle in that when a hostile crowd came after Gideon, his father stood up to them on Gideon’s behalf. Saying, “Let Baal take care of himself. Isn’t he powerful enough to defend himself? If he is not, then he is not worth worshiping.” So that being true, and seeing as baal did not defend himself, the men gave Gideon a new name, Jerub-Baal or Baal-contender and decided that maybe they should alien themselves with this powerful man.

Powerful man my eye! Gideon didn’t feel like a powerful man, he didn’t’ feel like a baal-contender. He didn’t feel like a contender at all. After all he was just a farm boy. All he wanted was to stay home in his quiet farm and do what he loved best. Being on the land, planting, nurturing and harvesting his crops. He wanted to be left alone in peace and quiet. Maybe a little trouble from the Midianites was not so bad. I mean they only came now and then and the people had a backup plan to hide in the hills. So what if the crops were ruined, so what if the animals were killed, so what if they didn’t have a lot to eat, they always survived. Now this great army was camped within their borders and Gideon was wanting to run and hide again.

However God was saying “Go out and fight. Go in the strength you have.”
But Gideon was afraid

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Go In The Strength You HAVE

I don’t blame Gideon one bit. I know exactly how he feels. I feel the same way. I want to run and hide. I would rather stay in the wine press, doing what I have to do to survive than face my enemy. Even running to the hills every now and then and hiding out in a crevice wouldn’t be too bad. I can live with that.

So it seemed I had won a battle. I and the Lord that is. We had victory! My scan was normal so that means no surgery. Praise the Lord! Yes I still have symptoms I must deal with, but I can do that. I can do without a lot of food and give up some things, like coffee, I can do that! I can put up with occasional, albeit almost every night, uncomfortableness and pain. I’m used to it, I can do that!

Then the enemy moved in to camp within my borders. Another issue, more serious it seems, came up. “So why is this happening Lord? I smashed my alter, I gave my health to You. I placed it in Your hands and said, You take care of it. I trust You, I know You have my back. Now I have more problems?”

I imagine tests and doctor visits and possibly trips to the ER. Maybe even hospital stays, procedures and maybe surgery. Yes I’m shaking in my boots. I’m afraid. Yes I know how Gideon felt when he imagined taking his thirty two thousand men against thousands and thousands.

So what did Gideon do? He turned to God for reassurance. He asked for one more sign. Then again he asked, “just one more sign, God please give me one more”.

God tells me, “Go in the strength you have.”

What strength do I have Lord? I am nothing? I am weak. I hate doctors and hospitals and tests! I just want to stay home in my peaceful ranch house out here on the prairie, and enjoy a quiet winter. Bring on the blizzards, bring on the cold, bring on the wind. Tests and doctor visits stress me out. Stress is not good for me, I’ll just stay here in the wine press and hide. Lord, I’ll even run to the hills and hide in a cave, just don’t make me face my enemy.”

This is what He said to me through an old blog that I ran across by accident.
“Don’t be afraid!” the angel said, “For you are very precious to God. Peace! Be encouraged! Be STRONG!” Dan. 10:19

Now these words were said to Daniel, but right now, Jesus is whispering them to me.

“Peace be still. I hold you in my hands. My protecting arms are around you. Through your weakness, my strength will make you strong. You have MY strength. Go in the strength you have.”

The strength that I have is His strength, but it is strength I gained through tough climbs and long rocky trails and dark valleys.

“God says, you can do this in the strength you already have built up, but if you can’t I will give you more strength. I will give you all you need.”

I already have the strength, its inside me, I can do this!

I am precious in His sight, but does that mean I won’t have to fight? No. I may have to march against the enemy and that makes my legs like wet noodles. However my Lord will be with me. He will fight the battle, I just need to go out. I need to stand up to the enemy and march.

He tells me to rejoice in all circumstances, to thank Him, to praise Him in all things. He calls me to be a person who is rejoicing and praising God instead of grumbling and complaining, or stomping and yelling. Does that mean I will always be happy and bubbly? No, but it means I can give thanksgiving and praise who my God is at all times. I can see His blessings and keep my focus on Him. Does that mean I won’t be afraid? No, but when I am afraid I can turn to Him, ask Him for reassurance, lean on Him, seek His comfort, soak up His love. And trust His word. Trust Him.

He tells me, “If I bring you to this, I will carry you through it.” This isn’t something that is just randomly happening to me. God has allowed it, He will use it for His glory, He will teach me, train me, grow me in it and through it. This is His battle, His enemy that has come against me, He will fight it and He will win.

My Jesus says, “Walk in this and I will be with you all the way.”

“He will be gracious to you if you ask for help. He will surely respond to the sound of your cries.
Though the Lord gave you adversity for food and suffering for drink, He will be with you to teach you.
You will see your Teacher with your own eyes. Your own ears will hear Him. Right behind you a voice will say, ‘This is the way you should go.’ Whether to the right or to the left.”