Destined for More: Giddy Up

One of the most fun “destined for more” stories is that of Gideon.

Gideon lived in the time of the judges. Things were not good. Midianites had so plagued God’s people that when we first meet him, Gideon is hiding out in a winepress, secretly threshing wheat, in hopes that they won’t catch him and take away his food.

Imagine Gideon’s surprise when the angel of the Lord shows up and greets him as “you mighty man of valor”. I don’t know what more you could ask for as proof that God sees us differently than we see ourselves.

God knew the plans He had for Gideon – plans He would ensure came to pass in a most unusual way.

After the angel assures Gideon that God will use him to save Israel from the Midianites (whom Gideon had just been hiding his wheat from), he provides Gideon with a first task – that is, tear down his own father’s altar to Baal.

Having seen an angel and received a message and assurances directly from God through him, Gideon is still too fearful of his father’s household and the local men to do this first task in the daylight. He does it under cover of darkness. And sure enough, if his father had not intervened, the men of the town wanted to kill Gideon once they found out it was him.

Thankfully, Gideon’s father intervened and he was spared. Good thing too, because Gideon was about to need to man up as the Midianites and Amalekites gathered for battle. Now he begins to gather an army.

Still unsure of either himself or God, with an army amassed behind him, Gideon twice asks God to miraculously prove that Gideon himself is actually the one through whom God will save Israel.

Don’t we all struggle at times to step into the destiny for which God has called us – at least at first? I heard Beth Moore (author and Bible teacher) say that the problem with Israel when they actually got to the promised land, and the spies came back with the report of giants, was not that they did not believe God could conquer those giants. Instead, it was they the Israelites did not believe God could use them to do it.

And aren’t we the same? We know and trust the power of our God. We know He can heal, walk on water, calm the storm, perform miracles – we just don’t think that we can be the tool He uses.

Back to Gideon. He did not seem to feel that he was up to the task at hand. But that did not matter. It would not be Gideon’s abilities that won the day.

And God went to extreme measures to prove that. First, he culled down Gideon’s army to just 300 men to go out against the vast armies of the Midianites and Amalekites. Then He sent Gideon into the Midianite came to eavesdrop on one soldier of the Midianites telling his dream about a loaf of barely bread tumbling into the camp, and collapsing his tent. His companion interpreted that as the “sword of Gideon” and the Israelite God would deliver them into his hand.

Not very flattering to be depicted as a rolling loaf of bread, but it worked to both strike fear among the army of Midian, and to encourage our Gideon.

And now, the proverbial icing on the cake is this: Gideons army was fitted for battle with water pitchers carrying lights, and trumpets. They blew their trumpets and smashed the pitchers, and in doing so scared the Midianites into killing each other. Our God seems to have a sense of humor.

Psalm103:14 [NKJV] 14 For He knows our frame; He remembers that we [are] dust.

Who knew a loaf of barley bread (Gideon) could be so effective? 😊 This was entirely a God thing.

The lesson for us, I believe, is that while God might, in the midst of our fear and doubt, call us “mighty men (or women) of valor”, we should always remember that the subtext is “in the Lord”.

God literally asked Gideon to show up with what others would see as weakness – only 300 men with pitchers and trumpets. He asks nothing more of us. He knows our weaknesses. (Psalm 103:14 NLT) The Spirit comes to help us in our weaknesses (Romans 8:26 AMP).

Without Him by our side in our spiritual battles, the chances for victory are nil. But with God fighting our battles, the victory sure – even if we only show up with a trumpet and a pitcher.

The battle is the Lord’s. He never asks us to go it alone. He often asks us to step aside and give the battle entirely to Him. Gideon learned that lesson. So can we, if we “Giddy Up” our reliance on God.

I welcome your comments and questions. Which other Bible personality would you say was also destined for more? Do you have a favorite “destined for more” story?

You can write me in the chat or any time at Nancy@dynamicchristianministries.org