March 3, 2024 - Judges 6:12, 14-16

“When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?” “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” The Lord answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.”” Judges 6:12, 14-16 NIV

Lord, we thank you that you have eyes to truly see everything about us. You see all our mistakes, our shortcomings, our lack of faith and our fear. You see it all, yet you also see who you designed us to be. You see the plans that you have for us. You see how you can heal us and set us free. You see how you can use us despite our shortcomings. We see evidence of this in these verses.

Gideon was so afraid of the Midianites that he was hiding in a winepress to thresh his wheat. God when you appeared to him, you called him a mighty warrior. Not because he was right then, but because that was what you designed him to be. He gave you all the reasons he was the least likely person to be a mighty warrior. The task of him overcoming the Midianites looked completely impossible to him. There were other Israelite leaders and people who were way more qualified, but you don’t care about our excuses, our mess-ups, our qualifications, our heritage, or lack thereof. You like to use the unlikeliest of people.

Lord, when you call us to do things that are beyond us, help us trust you. Thank you for seeing beyond what we currently are. Help us be willing to step out in faith to anything you ask of us even if it seems impossible. We can trust you. In the end, when you accomplish the victory through us, you will get all the glory because it was obviously beyond our capabilities.

In Jesus name, amen.