Gideon was called to be a judge during a time when his people were under the grip of Midianite oppression. They watched helplessly as their land was raided, homes destroyed and lives endangered. Being ‘impoverished’ they were at the ‘end of their rope.’ In their distress, they cried out to the Lord, and He sent them a prophet to remind them of the Lord’s grace in their lives and to call them to repentance. Not only did God have a message, He had a man to deliver them. God chose – Gideon meaning, “He who cuts down” to save Israel. Gideon didn’t look like he had much to offer when he was called; but in the end, he rose up to cut down the enemies of God’s people who were living in Poverty, Persecution and Powerlessness.

We too are faced with similar difficult times today—days of economic uncertainty raising fear of poverty; times of growing hostility to the work of the Lord and times of diminishing spiritual power among some of God’s people. These times resemble what Gideon and Israel faced. But we too have good news as the Lord encouraged Gideon:
 God’s Eye on us: Though Gideon was hiding from the enemy, the Lord knew exactly where Gideon was. “…the Angel of the LORD appeared to him…” (Vs 12.) The Midianites did not know where Gideon was hiding, but the Lord did! Even when Gideon was unaware of it, God was with him, watching him and planning his future.
This truth should comfort us as well. We have the same promise in Psalm 34:15: “The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry.” Friend, the Lord is with you, in every situation- be it a valley or a mountain. 
God’s Promise on us: When the Lord says, “The Lord is with you”, it means, “His power is on you.” Gideon could not see or sense it, but he was about to be used of the Lord in a powerful way! The same is true in our lives. When we grasp the truth that we are indwelt by the Spirit of God and that His limitless power is available for us, it will change our walk and our lives! 
God’s Perception of us:  Then the Lord calls Gideon “a mighty man of valor!” – a man who is so afraid of the enemy that he is hiding behind a wine-press threshing wheat! He is full of fear, but the Lord saw what Gideon would be when He would work on him. God’s intention was to use Gideon mightily. The phrase “the mighty man of valor” meant “a man who is charging right into the face of the enemy!”

The Lord knows us far better than we know ourselves. “You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways.” (Psalm 139:1-3) We may look at our lives and see mistakes, failures and problems or one who consistently fails to live up to God’s high calling. When Gideon’s family looked at him, they saw a weakling. When the Lord looked at him, God saw a warrior.  He knows what we will be when we surrender ourselves to Him. 

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The best thing you can ever do is to take your life, with all its problems, failures and shortcomings and place it in the hands of the Lord. He is able to take you as you are and transform you into something powerful and amazing by His power! God specializes in using those weaklings who think they can’t to accomplish His work in the world. 

Let us stop making excuses and just start doing what God call us to do. Remember God calls us and see us as “Mighty man/woman of valor!”

 Thought for the day:

And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)