Judges 7:9-11

New International Version (NIV)

If you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp … and listen to what they are saying … [and] be encouraged.”

For Meditation

In all of scripture, I have not yet seen any person with whom God dealt so tenderly than Gideon. The man was afraid, had zero self-confidence, struggled with his commission, and also with God’s encouragements. He showed God a long list of reasons why he couldn’t be His chosen instrument to liberate Israel from the Midianites. He moved under cover of darkness to tear down his father’s altar to Baal, and asked for a sign in his famous fleece setting (Judges 6:11-40). In spite of the obvious, God stunned Gideon by sifting his army and reducing their number to three hundred men against a strong Midianite opposition (7:1-8). It is not difficult to imagine Gideon’s state of mind, the night before the fighting began.

God tenderly prodded him on with a final confidence-boosting sign that sealed Gideon’s faith (9-17). On that fateful night, God said to Gideon: “If you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah and listen to what they are saying … [and] be encouraged” (9-11). Gideon went to the Midianite camp, listened in to a conversation between two soldiers, and heard the dream of one of them and its interpretation that assured Gideon of a stunning victory.

Never forget this, my friend. God knows our anxious moments! The times when our faith is tested and our confidence is gone; those times when our knees are knocking and the clouds of doom have stunted our visibility, God stands by His children to assure and encourage. His voice is sweeter and His Presence, overwhelming. This much, my friend, you can be sure of; if, indeed, you are His faithful child.

1. What situation has shaken you to the core and rendered you fearful of tomorrow?
2. What tidal wave has come against you that is threatening to take you under?
3. Is it a marital problem, a job situation, a business deal gone badly, a financial crisis that promises no end, or a surprising health report?
4. Is that why your faith is wilting like a flower under the scorching noonday sun?
5. Who said God is dead? Who said He is asleep or nonchalant?

I pray you remember His words of assurance in Philippians 4:6-7: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

So: May you receive a personal visitation from the Lord to calm your fears and take away your anxieties; and may the joy that only Jesus gives by His Spirit, fill your heart and bring you optimism, as you prepare to welcome 2017 in a couple of days.

Our anxious moments could lead us to a deeper revelation of God and His active hand in our lives. Be ready for the surprise of your life in the coming year.

Shalom