Gideon was an unlikely leader.  He was in the middle of “threshing wheat in a winepress” to hide it from some folks (Judges 6:11) when an angel of the Lord called him a “mighty warrior” (NIV)/ “mighty man of valour” (KJV) in Judges 6:12.  That same angel also told Gideon that the Lord was with him.  Gideon’s response to all of this?  Questions.  The Lord responded with some “big picture” action items, but also reminded Gideon that He (the Lord) was with him.  Gideon’s response?  More questions and doubt.  Gideon even threw in some excuses.  Here God was calling him to be a leader in a battle, and Gideon’s excuse was that the people in his group were weak and he was the “least” in the family.  The Lord responded again stating that He was with Gideon and also gave Gideon a glimpse of what was going to happen…and it was major.  Gideon’s response? He asked the Lord to give him a sign to make sure it was really the Lord talking to him.  The Lord gave Gideon a sign and even gave him more information about what was to come – that Gideon wouldn’t die in all of this.  God told Gideon to do some more things in Judges 6:25-26.  Gideon’s response?  He did what God told him to do, but did it at night because he was afraid of his family and townspeople.  (Spoiler alert: The people found out it was Gideon who did it anyway.)  Gideon went on to ask the Lord for a few more signs.  The Lord gave him the signs.

Later in the story we see that Gideon had 32,000 men with him to lead into a battle.  In obedience to God, that number got reduced.  Specifically, 22,000 were allowed to turn back because they were fearful.  Ultimately the number of men with Gideon was reduced to 300 before they even started the battle.  This was a reduction of 99.0625% in human strength.  In other words, Gideon was left with 0.9375% of the human strength he started with before the battle even began.  Note that this was the same battle that God called Gideon to be a leader in, but Gideon responded with questions, doubt, fear, and excuses.

It should be no surprise that God’s strength prevailed.  Going back to Judges 6:12, notice that the angel called Gideon by what he would become (a mighty warrior) and not what he currently was.

God intentionally chose Gideon.  Similarly, God places us in positions that we could never get to (or through) in our own strength.  Don’t believe me?  Take the Gideon Challenge, which is an opportunity to reflect on how God works through you in unlikely ways.

Here’s what I’m deeming “The Gideon Challenge”:

1. Make a list of all of your traits (good, neutral, and those that need growth).  In other words, how would you describe yourself?  (Be honest.)
2. Make a list of all of the traits you think are important for the current role(s) you are in.  Perhaps your role is a parent, entrepreneur, public speaker, teacher, student, or something else.
3. Compare the two lists and reflect on how God purposed, prepared, and enabled you to handle where He placed you.  Also, reflect on how God has used an unlikely you to do some pretty incredible things.  If you’re honest, some of your traits may not match the expected traits of the role(s) you are in.

*For more information on Gideon’s story, see Judges 6-8.

Blessings and Love,
PurposeOverFear

*Picture in this post is from pixabay.com.