“The Lord turned to him and said, ‘Go in the strength you have and save Israel … I will be with you.’” Judges 6:14,16
Israel was in trouble again. They had turned away from God again. And again God gave them over to their enemies. The Midianites came in like a swarm of locusts and destroyed crops and livestock. The Israelites were impoverished and cried out to God for help.
Just like He had done before, God heard their cries and he made a plan to fix things. He chose a man named Gideon to head up the army and get rid of the Midianites.
However, Gideon did not think he was qualified for the job. In fact, he was so hesitant, he asked God for sign after sign to make sure he was hearing God correctly. He was afraid of his family. He was afraid of the people in his town. He snuck around at night so the people wouldn’t see him. This was not the character of a “mighty warrior” (Judges 6:12).
God makes a practice of turning weakness into strength (Hebrews 11:34). Time and time again in scripture we see how God chose the ones least likely to succeed. He chose the youngest, the ones with bad reputations, and the ones with physical limitations. In Gideon, he chose a very fearful man to lead an army.
Why does God choose the weak? God’s answer to Paul, recorded in 2 Corinthians 12:9 is that, “[God’s] power is made perfect in weakness.” Our faith and courage cannot be grounded in our own abilities, but in the strength of our God to carry us.
Lord, help me take pride in my weakness because it is through weakness that your power is on display. Amen.
