Anxious Entering 2025

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 scripture, I have seen no one with whom God dealt so tenderly as Gideon. The man was afraid, had zero self-confidence, and struggled with his commission and God’s encouragement. He showed God why he could not qualify as 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). Despite 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 easy to imagine Gideon’s 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 gets 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 is overwhelming. You can be sure of this much, my friend, if you are His faithful child.

2024 has been a tough year for many people. I do not know what situation has shaken your life’s core and made you fearful of tomorrow—what tidal wave is threatening to take you under. Is it a marital problem, job situation, lousy business deal, financial crisis that promises no end, or a surprising health report? Is that why your faith wilts like a flower under the scorching noonday sun? Who said God is dead? Who said He was asleep or nonchalant?

Gideon’s God is alive and present with you to direct, encourage, and strengthen you along the way and across the threshold into a prosperous new year. So,

“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, remove your anxieties, and make you courageous as you prepare to welcome 2025 in a few days.

Your anxious moments could lead to a more profound revelation of God and His active hand in your life.

Pray with Me

Father, I thank you for letting me know that all my fears are gone in Christ. Thank you for your encouragement and courage when I am weak. Amen.

Shalom