Kat

God tells Gideon to tear down the altar to Baal and the Asherah pole. What is our modern day Baal? TV? Sports? Video games? Shopping malls? What if God asked us to destroy these? How would that be viewed in our world? In what ways do we compromise our faith just like the Israelites did in Gideon's time? What choices must we make? (My son's big hockey game is on Sunday morning... He'll let the team down if he isn't there, but he'll be missing worship...) When should we take a stand? Gideon is to build an altar to God in its place--as usual, God is turning bad into good. Getting rid of what we are worshipping instead of God is not enough...we are to replace those things with a sacrifice of worship that is pleasing to God. At night...Gideon DOES obey God. However, the Bible says that he was afraid--which means He didn't completely trust God to protect Him. Like all of us, Gideon is human and fortunately, God loves us anyway and has mercy on our fears and doubts. So, yes it is a sign of weakness, but God is not only merciful on this weakness, He also turns it into something good: an opportunity for Joash to defend his son and choose God over Baal.

It is a comfort and relief to know that our all-powerful God is in charge. Even when we fail or when we are weak or when we let our insecurities get in the way, God is in charge. He is so powerful that we can't get in the way of His will--and it is a great relief to know that! "But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us," 2 Corinthians 4:7 This isn't from the New Testament, but I'm thinking about it in relation to Judges 6:13: "Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Soveriegn Lord is my strength; He makes my feet like the feet of a deer, He enables me to go on the heights." Habakkuk 3:17-19 God's answer to Gideon is that He will be with Gideon. In our world, we often think we need to "find" God. We don't; He is always there (Matthew 28:20). Heavenly Father: Thank You for always being with us! Thank You that no matter how often we may fail, You are always with us, You always love us and You still want to use to accomplish Your will. Help us to trust in You and grant us peace in the knowledge that You are in charge, not us. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Hello! My name is Kat and I live in Fairbanks, Alaska. I grew up here, but went to college in Mt. Vernon, Iowa and lived in Minneapolis for a year before returning to Fairbanks. I have two children ages 11 and 10. I attend the LCMS Lutheran church where I was baptized and God has called me to become a DCE (Director of Christian Education). Thank you, Dr. Wilson, for the opportunity to study about Gideon!

I have struggled all of my life with low self esteem. For many years I had negative tapes playing in my head: "You're ugly; you're worthless; you're fat, etc." About three years ago, after a long process of prayer and devotion, God erased those tapes. However, I still struggle. And now God has called me to a position of public ministry and I find that the biggest obstacle is this lack of self worth. It is ultimately a very selfish thing--focusing on myself rather than on God and what He can do. So, with Gideon, I can identify with his discouragement and lack of faith in God's ability to use Him. Again and again, God chooses people who really aren't equipped to do what He is calling them to do (Moses, David, the disciples) and demonstrates that His power is greater than anything that we may think we can do on our own. All that is needed is faith and trust in God and a willingness to follow His will for us. "That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Corinthians 12:10