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

Judges 7:9-11 

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. He had zero self-confidence and struggled with his commission. When God encouraged him, Gideon showed God a long list of reasons why he couldn’t be His chosen instrument to lead Israel against the Midianites. He moved under cover of darkness to tear down his father’s altar to Baal. He asked for a sign in his famous fleece setting (Judges 6:11-40). God stunned Gideon by sifting his army and reducing them to three hundred men against the Midianites (7:1-8). It is, therefore, not difficult to imagine Gideon’s mental condition, the night before the war.

God tenderly prodded him on with a final sign that sealed Gideon’s faith (9-17). He sent Gideon to eavesdrop on a conversation of two Midianite soldiers (9-11). Gideon 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 vision. God stands by His children at such times to assure and encourage. His voice is sweeter and His Presence, overwhelming. This much, my friend, you can be sure of as His faithful child.

1. What situation has shaken and rendered you fearful of tomorrow?
2. What tide has come against you that is threatening to take you under?
3. Is it a marital problem, a job situation, a business deal gone bad, 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 noonday sun?
5. Who said God is dead? Who said He is asleep or uncaring?

I pray you remember 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.”

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 2019 today.

Your anxious moments could lead to a deeper revelation of God and His providential hand in your life. So, be ready for the surprise of your life in the coming year.

Shalom