Stories of Mental Health in the BibleSample

Fear - Gideon

Gideon had a lot of reasons to be scared: his nation was under constant attack from the neighboring Midianites. They assaulted his people, destroyed their crops, and stole their livestock. Like many Israelites, Gideon lived in hiding, where we find him in Judges 6.

When the Lord appears to Gideon and instructs him to rescue Israel from the Midianites, he counters with a long list of reasons why he isn’t fit for the challenge. Gideon responds to God from a place of fear and doubt instead of faith in what the Lord was calling him to do. He asks God several times for proof that he would really be with him in the battle to come – something many of us are prone to do when God calls us to face our own fears from time to time! Instead of being angry at Gideon for doubting him, God is merciful and gives Gideon the signs he’s looking for to confirm that he will help him and be with him every step of the way.

Gideon’s God is the same God who will help us accomplish all that he asks us to do. We may not feel qualified or prepared for every situation, and God may not give us tangible signs that he’s with us, but God’s message to Gideon is the same one he gives us: “I will be with you.”