January 5

A Journey of Faith and Trust

"Do not let Thine anger burn against me that I may speak once more; please let me make a test once more with the fleece, let it now be dry only on the fleece, and let there be dew on all the ground. And God did so that night;"  Judges 6:39

The story of Gideon is a fascinating one. Most people think Gideon should have had more faith. The angel of the Lord had produced fire with his staff which burned up the sacrifice Gideon made to Jehovah. One would think that in itself should have been enough to prove to Gideon that Jehovah was in charge. But after looking at the context one realizes that God met Gideon where he was and helped to build his faith. After all, Gideon grew up in an idolatrous family. The book of Judges records that God commanded Gideon to destroy his father’s altar to Baal and cut down his father’s Asherah pole. So the question arises how much faith in God did Gideon have when out of nowhere an angel appeared? Probably not much. That is why God worked with Gideon, first with the fire and then twice more with his fleece. God did not become angry with Gideon for requesting further confirmation of who he was dealing with. He patiently developed the faith and trust that Gideon needed to lead the nation of Israel to victory. The lesson for us is simple. God meets us at our need, right where we are and gently and lovingly leads us on a journey of faith and trust. Let us not be afraid to ask our Father to develop in us this trust, but let us come to Him knowing that is exactly what He desires for us.

Father, thank You for the story of Gideon. Thank You for meeting him right where he was and working with him to develop a trust and faith in You. Teach me to trust You more and help me to develop a faith that will not be blown about by the winds that surround me. Amen