Gideon said to God, "If you will save Israel by my hand as you have promised- look, I will place a wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you said. (Judges 6:36-37, NIV)
I’m straddling between ska, acoustic worship music and Flyleaf. Menial musical details aside, I’m afraid I’m going to pull out the fleece again for God to prove me He’ll move heaven and earth FOR me. I’ve read this last year, and a pastor referenced it when I was at the school Christian Club. I have to write an application for a leadership program in the District by Friday, and it’s starting to doubt if I even have the chops for leadership. Some things seem to work against me…
It seems certain that God wanted Gideon to deliver Israel from the enemy –again-, but how much believing would this cost? In this chapter of Judges, Gideon asks God to do three things:
1. For the angel of the LORD (that’s a reference to Jesus) to receive an offering of meat, unleavened bread and a pot (v.19-22).
2. He places a fleece to the threshing floor and asks God to have the ground dry and the fleece wet with dew. Naturally, He does that (v.36-38)
3. Last one, he uses the same fleece to do the converse: have the ground wet with dew and the fleece dry (v.39-40)
He recognizes something at the last one, though: "Do not be angry with me” (v.39). He was actually plagued with doubt about his role in God’s mission of liberation. He wanted God to tell him that he was the chosen one for that, when in fact, God CHOSE him already! Take a look at this: When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, "The LORD is with you, mighty warrior." (v.12)
It seems like we sometimes want God to confirm us things. I don’t believe its wrong to ask God when we sometimes grapple with doubt, but what if it gets to the extreme of asking God to shake a big worship service and see the angels and speak tongues if THAT will make us closer to Him? We have a thing called faith that God Himself bestowed to us; unfortunately, we don’t use it that much.
If God called me to lead, He’ll call me to lead.
If God called me to serve, He’ll call me to serve.
Do I have to ask God to move all I have just to make me have faith? "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." (John 20:29, NIV)
