“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).
Eternal Father, gracious God, please draw divinely close to us, and help us to feel the relentless love that You have for Your people. May we know that when everything else fail we can count on You! In the Holy name of Jesus Christ I offer this prayer. Amen and Amen.
This is our seventh day in the story of Gideon. Perhaps you and I will discover instances in Gideon’s journey that will remind us of moments in our own life’s journey. What has impressed me the most, so far, is the fact that, although Gideon does not fully understand what God is about to do, he does not hesitate to do what God asks him to do, even if he needs some evidence to proceed.
“So Gideon said to God, “If You will save Israel by my hand as You have said look, I shall put a fleece of wool on the threshing floor; if there is dew on the fleece only, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that You will save Israel by my hand, as You have said” (Judges 6:36, 37, emphasis supplied).
Do you remember this? “Then he (Gideon) said to Him (God), ‘ “If now I have found favor in Your sight, then show me a sign that it is You who talk with me” ‘ (17, emphasis supplied)? This time he asks for another kind of sign, twice (see verses 37-40). And it is granted.
Gideon does not have what we would describe as a blind faith. His faith resembles that of Thomas, one of Jesus’ disciples,
“The other disciples therefore said to him (Thomas), ‘ “We have seen the Lord.” ‘ So he said to them, ‘ “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe” ‘ ” ‘ “ (John 20:25). We might describe Thomas’ faith as a see to believe faith.
Although Jesus pronounces the blessing on those who do not need to see to believe, He acquiesces to his request (see John 20:26-29). Some times He will do the same for you and me.
If without faith it is impossible to please God, why does God at times grant us answers to our apparently faithless prayers?
“[B]ut these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name” (31, emphasis supplied).
Yes dear friends, God’s desire, above all else, is that you and I, and “whoever will,” may have everlasting life by believing in Him! He takes our faith as small as a mustard seed, that leads you and me to ask for a sign! (It is not the faithless who asks for a sign, but one whose faith needs growing!) So God gives some of us the “sign” that we need at the time, to help our faith to grow!
God was preparing Gideon to be the captain of a fledgling army of ex-slaves to defeat a gigantic military coalition, and turn the eyes of the world to the God who had chosen the least among the nations, to bring glory to His Name. So that believing, even they could have everlasting life!
We will enter that phase of Gideon’s life in the chapter to come!
NOTE: I have added some information to a paragraph of this devotional to make the lesson being taught, easier to understand. You may want to read the devotional again.