YOU ARE A MIGHTY WARRIOR
April 22, 2020
Prayer: Father, you are speaking over us an identity and calling that can bring your peace to this frightened world. Give me listening ears to hear. In Jesus’ name.
Scripture: The angel of the Lord came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” Judges 6:11-12 NIV
Schools are closed, store shelves are bare, financial markets are crashing, and people are scared. Coronavirus and our response to it is shaking the foundations of our society.
We find Israel facing a similar time in the story of Gideon. The Midianites were invading the country, and the people were gripped with fear.
In the ancient world, threshing wheat was typically done on a high plateau where abundant wind blows away the chaff and the valuable kernel falls to the ground to be gathered. But high plateaus are also highly visible.
So we find Gideon threshing wheat in a winepress—essentially, a pit in the ground. Hiding from the invading Midianites was not exactly Gideon’s most courageous moment. Yet, when the angel of the Lord appears, he calls Gideon a “mighty warrior.” Up to this point in the narrative, there was no reason to think this label applied. In fact, Gideon’s response, which could be paraphrased, “I am pretty much the weakest man in the country,” doesn’t fill us with confidence either.
But the Lord sees what we do not. By trusting and obeying, Gideon became the mighty warrior that the Lord saw in him, and as a result, was God’s chosen vessel to deliver Israel.
The Lord is also speaking over you as well about how He wants to use you in this time of need. What is He saying? We know from scripture that He calls you the apple of His eye (Ps. 17:8), that you are not condemned (Rom. 8:1) but adopted as a son or daughter (Eph. 1:5), and He delights in you (Ps. 147:11). That’s a good start!
Scripture also reminds us that we have nothing to fear because we cannot be separated from His love (Rom. 8:39), and that if we seek first the kingdom and His righteousness, he will take care of our needs (Matt. 6:33). There is ultimately nothing to lose.
His still, small voice may have still more to say about you. As you pray, command the voice of the enemy to be silent, quiet your own thoughts, and ask the Lord what He is speaking over you. He is calling you.
Like Gideon, let’s choose to step out in our God-given identity and bring light and courage to a frightened world.
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Copyright by David Schmus. Email [email protected]