| When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” |
| —Judges 6:12 |
How many times in Scripture has God proven that He makes the most out of the weakest people? Think of the virgin teen, Mary of Nazareth. Consider Sarah, Abraham’s wife at 90 years old. Remember Moses at age 80. Think about Ruth, a foreign barren widow. Ponder the life of David, a shepherd boy. In the lives of each one, God has elevated these individuals to places of significance in His Kingdom.
As yet another example, I would like to zoom in on the Bible character, Gideon. In those long ago days when Gideon lived, the Israelites had once again cried out to God because of the oppression of the Midianites.
One day, Gideon, the son of a farmer, was threshing wheat in a winepress for his father. He did this in order to hide the wheat from the enemy. As he worked, Gideon was visited by the angel of the Lord, who addressed Gideon as a mighty warrior! Gideon’s response definitely spoke of his lack of faith because, as recorded in Judges 6:13-15, Gideon replied:
“If the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us?” ... The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel.” Gideon responded, “How can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.”
Has anyone ever called you a trooper, or a prayer warrior, or some other name you know couldn’t possibly define you? Your first thought might be: “Prove it! Show me in what way you can say that about me!”
Gideon just would not believe that God could do through him what God had asked. Gideon asked for signs, which God graciously gave him. But, as we see in Judges 6:27, even when Gideon obeyed God:
Because he was afraid of his family and the men of the town, he did it at night rather than in the daytime.
The story takes even more twists and turns. But, once Gideon had called all his men together, God whittled the army down even more. God did this so that His power might be seen in the outcome of this attack.
We see in Judges 7:12 that even against the Midianites with the Amalekites—who came “… thick as locusts. Their camels could no more be counted than the sand on the seashore …”—with Gideon’s small army of 300, God proved His power and defeated the enemy.
In dramatic terms, this narrative from Scripture teaches us that God loves to use the weak to do His greatest work. If we come to God with fear, with very little to offer, in weakness and need, but with a willing spirit, He can use us for mighty things.
In 1 Corinthians 1:26-31, the Apostle Paul expounds on the lesson:
Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”
If we desire for God to use us, let us please take heart. When we feel weak, God can use His strength in us. When we feel inadequate, God will make us adequate to anything to which He calls us. Believe it! We can’t, but He can.
