“Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, ‘ “I will never leave you nor forsake you” ‘ ” (Hebrews 13:5, emphasis supplied).
Our Father, it is very encouraging to know that You keep Your word! That whatever You promise You will fulfill. And You have promised that You will never leave us nor forsake us! This promise gives us hope, and we thank You for it, in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, Your Son and our Savior. Amen.
We are now on the sixth message of the story of Gideon, one of the individuals who saw, and spoke to Jesus, the Son of God, face to face, before His incarnation. To mention a few others, Hagar (Genesis 16:7-14), Joshua (Joshua 5:13-15), Manoah and his wife (Judges 13:3-22).
Each of these individuals received special messages from God; Joshua, Manoah and his wife, and Gideon, because they were about to become co-workers with God, in a plan to save His people.
For God, it was just as important to appear to a foreigner, an Egyptian handmaid, Hagar by name, to encourage her, and to advise her, that it was not a good idea to run away from her abusive mistress, while she was expecting a child. He also named her child before he was born. He became her “God who sees.” He saw her in her pain. He also sees us in ours. Our God is a just God, and cares for all His creatures! Praise God! Thank You Jesus!
As we continue with the story of Gideon, I will repeat one of the promises of God that we mentioned yesterday, “When a [person’s] ways please the Lord, He makes even [that person’s] enemies to be at peace with [the person]” (Proverb’s 16:7). I want everyone reading this devotional to know that this promise is for all. So claim it in Jesus’ name!
Remember when Gideon obeyed God and destroyed the implements of Baal worship, that the people of the city, and even members of his father’s household demanded his death? Well now it is time for Gideon to go and face the enemy. He is making a call to rally all who will join him in this very challenging undertaking. What we are about to witness is the fulfillment of the promise cited above.
“Then all the Midianites and Amalekites, the people of the East, gathered together; and they crossed over and encamped in the Valley of Jezreel. But the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon; then he blew the trumpet, and the Abiezrites gathered behind him. And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh, who also gathered behind him. He also sent messengers to Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali; and they came up to meet them” (Judges 6:33-35, emphasis supplied).
Sometimes it only takes one soul who is willing to take God at His word and step out by faith, and stand for the right, and “call sin by its right name; . . . men who will stand for the right though the heavens fall” (Education, E. G. White, 57.3), to make change happen! It begins by putting God first in one’s life!
And Gideon was that man for that time. God had a plan for his life as he does for each of us. If we are willing to be made willing, God can bring to pass that plan through us. He will encourage us but He will not force us. He promised Gideon that He would be with him, and He was! He will also be with us. You will be able to observe how He kept His promise to Gideon, as his story progresses.