Gideon: Following God's CallSample

Gideon Gets Courage from God

That same night the LORD said to him, . . . “Your hands shall be strengthened.” (vv. 9, 11)

No matter what God calls us to, when we get up close to it, the sheer size of the task can threaten to overwhelm us. Sometimes, the job just seems too big. Whether we are called to address vast global inequities or to love and serve just one other human being, the enormity of the need can sometimes seem to far outweigh any resources we might think we have to offer.

When Gideon approached the enemy army God had called him to fight, he must have been shocked by what he saw. Soldiers from multiple enemy armies had gathered in the valley like a swarm of locusts. Their camels appeared as numerous as the grains of sand on the seashore. But when Gideon actually snuck down behind enemy lines, he discovered that God was already at work there. One soldier had been given a dream by God, and another was enabled to interpret it—and they just happened to be talking about this dream right when Gideon approached! What encouragement it was to Gideon, to hear his own enemies talking about the fact that they knew Gideon would be victorious.

Whatever challenges you face today, God has already sized them up. God already knows exactly what you are facing. And God has already gone before you. God has begun to work your victory. We can walk boldly into God’s calling when we know that God is already at work behind the scenes.

As you pray, ask God to show you how he is already at work.