The Everyday Prayer

Re:Verse passage – Judges 6:22-35 (day four)

Gideon shows boldness when he destroys the idols of Baal and the Asherah poles. He shows a desire to obey the word of Yahweh when he makes a “proper altar” to the One True God. This could amount to going into a small town, tearing down all their idols, and building a church in their place, all in the name of Jesus.

It says he did this at night because he was afraid of the townspeople and family members. But at least he did it. When confronted he does not deny it and is actually defended by his father Joash. Gideon turned the unholy wood into a sacrifice that the God of Peace accepted. The Prince of Peace came and was nailed to a unholy cross of wood; He was made sin for you so you could have peace with God the Father (2Cor 5:21). Praise God!

Are you willing to make a stand for Jesus in unholy places? It’s up to us to be bold and show this world how to worship the One True God. You might not feel like a “mighty warrior” but just be faithful with the task Jesus gave you to do. Obey His voice. Don’t be ashamed of the Gospel or of Jesus, or else He will be ashamed of you when you face God on Judgment Day (Luke 9:26).

Re:Verse passage – Judges 6:22-35 (day three)

“Will you contend for Baal?”

Whose case are you making? If you will not learn humility by seeking the forgiveness of a person you’ve wronged, isn’t that making the world’s case that toughness is survival? If you will not reflect on how your economic choices affect the most vulnerable among us, isn’t that making materialism’s case of more at any cost? Sin is hardest to part with when you’ve invited it to shape your habits and your thinking. It’s a crisis of existence, really: How will I live if not this way? Herein lies the riskiness of faith in God. It’s not for the brave, but for the terrified. Sometimes the townspeople see only the terror, and they turn away. But sometimes, people sense God’s possibilities breaking through the terror. That happened to Gideon.

Re:Verse passage – Judges 6:22-35 (day two)

Then Gideon took ten men of his servants and did as the Lord had spoken to him; and because he was too afraid of his father’s household and the men of the city to do it by day, he did it by night. vs. 27

Have you noticed that fear plays quite a role in the story of Gideon. His fear manifests itself in several ways: he doesn’t feel qualified, he fears reprisal from the people, and in next week’s reading we see his doubts again as he puts the Lord to the test. Even so, God does not change Gideon’s assignment. Don’t you think the Lord knew who he was choosing to help deliver Israel? Don’t you think he knew that we was the least among the least, and that his qualifications were less than officer candidate material? Of course he did! It’s the same with you. One of the things I love best about this interchange between God and Gideon is that despite his anxiety, Gideon obeys. Despite his many shortcomings he is still chosen. Friend, don’t let your fear stop your obedience.

Re:Verse passage – Judges 6:1-16 (day seven)

Why do bad things happen to good people? I would expect that everyone has pondered on this question in their faith journey. Why would God allow for wicked to prevail while the good people continually end up in bad circumstances? Why does the mother of three get cancer? Why did that drunk driver live while the teenager he hit is now in a coma? Why did the man who had been loyal to the company for 20 years get laid off? They were Christians. They prayed. They went to church. They all echo Gideon in verse 13, “O my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us?”

Bad things are a product of the brokenness of this world. Not that any one person deserves a harsher life on this earth due to their sin, but because of humanity’s sin, this earth will never function as it was intended. Bad things happen to non-christians too. Where Christian’s hold the advantage is that we know the best is yet to come…

For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison. 2 Cor 4:17

Re:Verse passage – Judges 6:1-16 (day five). He said to Him, “O Lord, how shall I deliver Israel? Behold, my family is the least in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father’s house.”
Gideon’s response to the Lord at first glance seems like a bunch of excuses. I guess to some degree it is. But, if you look a little deeper, what you may sense and see is that Gideon had forgotten his identity- loved by God, rescued by God, in covenant with God, accompanied by God. So, the Lord begins to remind him of his identity- I am (will be) with you. Jesus does the same thing in the New Testament to His followers- “I will never leave you or forsake you”. When God’s promised presence helps us shape our identity, we begin to find hope, courage, potential, and joy. We must first remember who He is and the promises He has made to us.
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine! When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you. For I am the Lord your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior;” Isaiah‬ ‭43

Re:Verse passage – Judges 6:1-16 (day four)

Like many times before and many times after, when God chose a deliverer for Israel, He did not choose the most powerful, most talented warrior.  When Gideon first is introduced, he is hiding from the enemy in the wine press.  Here he is, hiding, and the angel of the Lord addresses him as a valiant warrior.  Gideon’s view of reality did not match the angel’s…he questioned first the presence of the Lord and then he questioned his own abilities.

We may be hard on Gideon for questioning the Lord, but don’t we do the same thing?  God tells us something in Scripture like ‘ask and I will hear and answer’, or ‘it is better to give than to receive’ and we manage to discount the words and reinterpret them to match our reality.  This is idolatry.  Whose reality are we going to believe…our own or God’s?  For Gideon’s part, at least he came to the point of obedience…after the Lord looked at him!

Re:Verse passage – Judges 6:1-16 (day two) 

Then the angel of the Lord came and sat under the oak…vs. 11a

If we can be sure of anything in regards to how the Lord communicates, it is to look for him in any situation. Our images of messengers from heaven are likely tied directly to the Christmas story, am I right? Hillsides blazing with light and a heavenly host filling the night sky. This is how to make a heavenly visitation! If we’re not careful we miss those subtle and intimate meetings that are meant just for us. Sometimes messengers come in the heat of the day Genesis 18 . Sometimes in the most incredible part of mankind’s story, they are just sitting on a stone waiting John 20

God is definitely found in those grand and glorious gestures and moments in the Bible, but he is also the God who created the leaf, the stream, the wispy cloud; sometimes he’s sent a message that is sitting under a tree waiting to have a conversation with you. Look up, look around, and find the Lord.