Gideon’s Call and Ours

In Judges 6:11-23, the angel of the Lord called Gideon by what God knew him to be and would empower him to be.  Gideon looks at the current circumstances and assumes God has left them.  He seeks the wonders of Egypt.  He blames God for abandoning them, completely forgetting that it is Israel who has abandoned God.  God doesn’t answer any of Gideon’s questions, accusations or assumptions.  In essence, He tells him to stop complaining and start fighting the enemies.  When Gideon states how weak and least he is, God again bypasses the excuses and focuses on Himself and His strength, power and might.

Just as with Gideon, You call us by what You know us to be – by our potential, not our past or present.  We look at circumstances and lose our focus on the God Who is in complete control of those circumstances.  We blame God or others for circumstances without bothering to check for our responsibility for them.  We must stop our complaining and start fighting in the strength we have, trusting God to supply any lack we have.  We must change our focus from circumstances and our lack to Almighty God Who supplies every need.

Isaiah 41:10

“So do not fear, Fear not,”

Do not be afraid. Don’t worry. Let go and let God.

“for I am with you.”

You don’t have to be afraid because God is with you. Like air, He can’t be seen, but He fills every nook and cranny. Wherever we go, God is already there. He was there before we got there, He is there while we are there, He will remain there after we’ve gone even as He travels with us. We can venture boldly into “the unknown”, for God has been there already and He knows all about it. All we have to do is let go and follow His lead.

“do not be dismayed”

Dismay. Sudden loss of courage or resolution from alarm or fear. Sudden disappointment. Perturbation.

Don’t lose courage. Be resolute. Don’t be disappointed things aren’t going your way. They are going God’s way. Don’t be perturbed, annoyed, irritated. Sit back, relax and enjoy the ride.

“for I am your God.”

We don’t have to worry because God is our God. It’s as simple as that (KISS-Keep It Simple, Stupid). We trust in who God is, and what He can do. Let go and let God be God. The less time He has to spend answering our questions (and He has to answer more than once or twice because most of the time we miss the answers), the more time He has to do His own thing and the further along He’ll progress with us.

“I will strength you and help you.”

God gives us the strength we need. He strengthens us from the inside out. God helps us. It’s almost like cheating on an exam. If we allow God to work, strengthen and help, we can be sure of the outcome. The outcome is always God’s best for us.

“I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

God will keep us afloat, keep our heads above water. He will keep us from sinking in the mud. He will lead us from temptation. Not only does He uphold us, He will never forget us, for we are carved right into His palm (Isaiah 49:15). We can never be separated.

Psalm 146

Praise the Lord O my soul.
I will praise the Lord all my life and sing praise to God as long as I live – each and every day.

Don’t put your trust in rulers, in mortal men who cannot save.
When their spirit departs, they return to dust and then their plans come to nothing.

Blessed is he whose help is God, whose hope is in God.
The God who made heaven earth and sea and everything in them.
God remains forever faithful.
God upholds the cause of the oppressed, gives food to the hungry, sets the       prisoners free, gives sight to the blind, lifts up those bowed down, loves the   righteous, watches over the alien, sustains the widow and fatherless,   frustrates the ways of the wicked.
God upholds the cause of sinlessness, gives the food of the Word, sets us   free from sin, gives sight to us to see His way, lifts us up from our burdens,   loves us, watches over us, sustains us and frustrates our enemies.

God reigns forever over all generations.

Praise God.

Psalm 145

I will exalt You – lift You up where everyone can see You.
I will extol You – talk about You to everyone.
I will praise You – tell everyone all the good things about You.
Every day and forever I will exalt, extol and praise.

God is great – no one can begin to understand how great.
God is most worthy of praise – one generation will tell the next.
I will meditate on Your wonderful works.
Commend God’s works. Tell of His mighty acts. Speak of the glorious splendor of God’s majesty. Meditate on His wonderful works. Tell of the power of His awesome works. Proclaim His great deeds. Celebrate His abundant goodness. Joyfully sing of His righteousness.

God is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. God is good to all, He has compassion on all He has made – He has compassion on me.
All You have made will praise You, Your saints will extol You. They will tell of the glory of Your kingdom and speak of Your might so that all men may know if Your mighty acts and the glorious splendor of Your kingdom. Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom and Your dominion, Your range of power endures through all generations.

God is faithful to all His promises – if He promises, He will do it. God is loving to all He has made – plants, animals, people, me. God holds up those who fall – He keeps them from sinking further. God lifts up those who are bowed down – He straightens their back.
Everyone looks to God – He gives us our food at the proper time (not necessarily our time). God opens His hand and satisfies the desires of every living thing.

God is righteous in all His ways and loving to all He has made. God is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him truthfully – who are willing to let go of self and let God answer – who are truly yielded.
God fulfills the desires of all who fear Him, He hears their cry and saves them. God watches over all who love Him, but the wicked He will destroy.

My mouth will speak in praise of God.
Let every creature praise God forever and ever.

Psalm 60

God has left them – rejected
– broken in their defenses
– angry
– deserted them

Yet, for those who still honor God, there is a banner to rally to and around. He will save, He will help with His right hand.

Man’s help is useless. Only God’s help is worth anything. With God’s help, we shall do mighty things.

Buster Brown & the Baby Bunny

It was a warm and pleasant Sunday afternoon and I was mowing.  As usual, Buster Brown was close by.  I was going around the evergreen closest to the house when I heard the terrified squeaks of a baby bunny (he’s picked up baby bunnies before).  I knew exactly where to look – in Buster Brown’s mouth and I could see a part of the poor little thing.  I could hear all of it – crying out for all it was worth, with every fiber of its little being.  I had Buster Brown by the collar and since this wasn’t the first time I tried to teach him about catch and release, I knew exactly what to do.  One well-placed thump on the top of his head and a wet, skinny, baby bunny was trembling in the dirt.  As I started off to the back door with Buster Brown firmly in tow, I saw the mama rabbit dash by on the other side of the fence.  When I got back, the baby bunny was gone, but the lessons about how God works in my life were just beginning.

 There are times when we’re safe and secure in our little nest, but curious about the outside world and we stick our nose out a little too far to see what’s out there.  There are times when we’re safe and secure in our little nest, minding our own business and the enemy reaches in and grabs us.  How frightening it is to be picked up and carried off by another creature.  How frightening it is to be so high off the ground.

 We have to make sure we’re not paralyzed by fear.  We have to cry out with every fiber of our being.  It’s our only chance of getting help.  Our Abba is close by and ready to help.  God’s first thought is to rush to the aid of His little one.  God responds to the cries of His little ones even more than a mother does.  His heart stops at our first cry and breaks with our discomfort, fear and pain.  He rushes to our aid, sending the Holy Spirit or a fellow saint to thump the enemy on the head with the Word of God and make him drop us.  Unhindered by fear, unimpeded by lack of power, God is there doing whatever needs to be done as soon as it needs to be done.  He knows the best way to counter attack and rescue us.  He scoops us up and takes us back to the nest, comforting, healing, and scolding if necessary.  Then He stays with us until we finally fall back to sleep, once again safe and secure in His arms.