God Is Working
Judges 6:12-16… The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, “Mighty hero, the Lord is with you!” “Sir,” Gideon replied, “if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? And where are all the miracles our ancestors told us about? Didn’t they say, ‘The Lord brought us up out of Egypt’? But now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to the Midianites.” Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go with the strength you have, and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you!” “But Lord,” Gideon replied, “how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least in my entire family!” The Lord said to him, “I will be with you. And you will destroy the Midianites as if you were fighting against one man.”
In Judges 6 we find Israel facing difficult days… They have found themselves hiding in mountains and caves. The Medianites have: surrounded them, destroyed their crops and ruined their land, taken everything away from them, and left them nothing to eat
Israel has cried out to God for help and an angel appears to Gideon in Judges 6:12-13 and says, “Mighty hero, the Lord is with you!” “Sir,” Gideon replied, “If the Lord is with us, WHY has all this happened to us? And WHERE are all the miracles our ancestors told us about? Didn’t they say, ‘The Lord brought us up out of Egypt’? But now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to the Midianites.”
This sounds like us when we are faced with trouble… We ask God, “WHY?” Why God?! Why have You allowed this? If the Lord is with me, WHY has all this happened to me?
After we ask God, “WHY?” We then ask Him, “WHERE?” Where are the miracles? Where is what You’ve promised? Where is my breakthrough, blessing, or healing? WHERE ARE YOU GOD?!
After we ask God, “WHY?”And after we ask God, “WHERE?” We then question God’s power and ability… Gideon said, “Didn’t they say, ‘The Lord brought us up out of Egypt’? But now the Lord has abandoned us…” This is what the enemy wants you to believe… that the Lord has abandoned you. The devil is a liar!
Judges 6:14… Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go with the strength you have, and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you!”
This is what God was telling Gideon… “YOU HAVE IT IN YOU!” You have it in you to face any obstacle and deal with any problem. You are full of faith and power. Because GREATER IS HE that is IN YOU then he that is in the world (1 John 4:4). So be powerful NOT pitiful! Because God is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all we can ask or think ACCORDING TO the power that works in us (Ephesians 3:20-21).
Judges 6:15… “But Lord… HOW can I rescue Israel? My clan is the WEAKEST in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the LEAST in my entire family!”
We pray for a solution and when God says, “YOU ARE THE SOLUTION!” we start making excuses (like Gideon): Do you know who my family is or where I come from? None of that mattered… Why? Because God CALLED / CHOSE Gideon… In verse 12 He said, “Mighty hero, the Lord is with you!” Gideon completely disregarded his calling… “Mighty hero…”In that moment, the Lord MARKED Gideon for His purpose… God doesn’t call you by what/where you’ve done/been…He calls you by His purpose! Romans 8:28 says, “We know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are CALLED according to His purpose for them. It didn’t matter what question Gideon had, where he came from, what excuse he had, what his circumstance was, or what trouble he was facing… Because God called him, Gideon could be confident in this:
Judges 6:16… The Lord said to him, “I’LL BE WITH YOU. And you will destroy the Midianites as if you were fighting against one man.”
God is saying, “Because I chose you, you can be confident in this: I will be with you. I will stand with you. I will work it out for your good. I got your back.
We have been chosen and called… 1 Peter 2:9 says, “For you are a CHOSEN people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for He CALLED you out of the darkness into His wonderful light.” We have a responsibility during these turbulent times to show people the GOODNESS and FAITHFULNESS of God. Now is not the time to hide… We have to stand strong in our faith and with each other!
GOD IS WORKING! – And He is working it out for our good! Isaiah 43:2-4 says, “Don’t be afraid, I’ve redeemed you. I’ve called your name. You’re mine. When you’re in over your head, I’ll be there with you. When you’re in rough waters, you will not go down. When you’re between a rock and a hard place, it won’t be a dead end— Because I am God, your personal God, The Holy of Israel, your Savior. I paid a huge price for you: That’s how much you mean to me! That’s how much I love you! I’d sell off the whole world to get you back, trade the creation just for you.” God is saying… When the waves of destruction slap you, He’ll be working. When the river of trouble gets too deep, He’ll be working. When the heat of the battle gets too hot, He’ll be working. When the flames of despair rise, He’ll be working.
Regardless of what you’re facing… STAND STRONG! 1 Corinthians 15:57-58 says, “We thank God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ! So, my dear brothers and sisters, STAND STRONG. Don’t let anything change you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord…” Stand strong. Keep the faith! God is our source. We can put our trust in Him!