“You do not need another New Year’s resolution to acquire some sense of greatness. All you need is a fresh revelation of who God is and the might God already sees you. “
“And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and said unto him, The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valour. And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the Lord be with us, why then is all this befallen us and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt? but now the Lord hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites. And the Lord looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee? And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house. And the Lord said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man” (Judges 6:12–16)
Although arguable to some, it is the opinion of the author that a proper perspective of one’s self is dependent on a proper view of God. Somewhere over the course of Gideon’s life, doubt had taken root bearing the fruit of question. That question is revealed by the words “if” and “why” at the beginning of verse thirteen. However, by the end of the same verse, we see that the unresolved question has developed into feelings of being forsaken. For Gideon, “I am the least” was not a statement of humility but rather his revealed lack of confidence and faith.
Most people have endured a season when their self-assessment mirrored that of Gideon’s in the text above. For some, your current context may find you trudging through a tough time where there is a confidence shortage in your own life or ministry. Everywhere you look and listen this month, people are talking about resolutions, while you are simply trying to maintain your resilience. As others are working to take new ground, you’re just hoping not to lose any more. Yet this article is meant to be another voice of confirmation for you. No, you did not simply stumble across it and yes, the Lord does want to use you regardless of how broken or abandoned you feel.
Within only a handful of verses, we witness Gideon make the transition from overwhelmed to overcomer. After an intimate conversation with the angel of the Lord, Gideon transforms from feeling alienated to sensing empowerment. We watch him destroy the altar of Baal, build a fresh altar unto the Lord, feel a surge of confidence, and employ actions that would become known forever as “fleecing the Lord.” Through the clarity of God’s instruction and the willingness of this recently shy servant, the Midianites are soon to suffer great devastation due to a small group of Israelites armed with pitchers and trumpets.
Soon, trumpets would cease to sound, flames would no longer fill the night sky, and the chasing of princes would be done. When the dust settled and the battle was debriefed, it would not be credited to man’s ability but to God’s mercy. God used Gideon to do something extraordinary when he turned his alienation into an altar and his fear into a fight.
Dear Reader, you do not need another New Year’s resolution to acquire some sense of greatness. All you need is a fresh revelation of who God is and the might God already sees you.
