Sermonette: Gideon

You might find this strange, but I don’t have a favorite passage of scripture. I know this is kind of odd, especially coming from a pastor, but my favorite parts of the Bible aren’t specific verses; rather I enjoy a certain type of passage. Instead of having favorite memory verses, I particularly enjoy any passage of scripture where a human has a discussion with God. Adam and Eve, Moses, Job, the entire book of Habakkuk, and even when Jesus debates with the Jews. I find so much depth and truth reading examples where man has shaken his fist at the sky, and the sky answered. Recently, I discovered another one of these God-discussion passages in of all places, Judges.

When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” “But sir,” Gideon replied, “if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our fathers told us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and put us into the hand of Midian.' The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?”

– Judges 6:12-14

Gideon is just like me. An angel, the official representative of God shows up, and he immediately complains. The angel states that God is with Gideon, and Gideon throws it back in his face. If God is for us, then why are we in such a tough place? Why don’t we see the wonders and miracles of old? Why are you allowing the Midianites to subjugate us? How can you be with us, and simultaneously seem to abandon us?

It is the next part that I always love. The human spouts off and gets himself too far out on a branch, and then God responds with some soul cutting response. The Jews did it. Habakkuk did it. Job and his friends really did it. And of course, Gideon does it. He spouts off with a bunch of bologna about how God must be lying because it doesn’t seem like he’s with them. Then the angel gives a great response. Go. Am I not sending you? If life is so bad, stop blaming God and do something about it. Use the strength you already have and solve the problem.

This is a lesson we can all stand to hear. Christians like to complain to God. We call it prayer, but in the prayers, we talk about the many things we want God to fix. We want God to reach the lost people. We want God to stop violence in our schools. We want God to grow our churches. But have we ever thought about what would happen if God was there in the flesh when we prayed? Maybe, if he was here in the flesh he would respond by saying “go in the strength you have,” and “am I not sending you?”

So I challenge you to “go in the strength you have"; and when you have moments where you think God isn’t doing enough or doing the right thing remember what the angel said to Gideon: “Am I not sending you?”