Then the Spirit of the Lord came on Gideon, and he blew a trumpet, summoning the Abiezrites to follow him (Judges 6: 34-35).

[Editor’s Note: We continue this week’s archive of devotionals that paired with the August 2021 sermon series Let’s Go! We pray you’ll receive a blessing and maybe even a challenge from today’s reading.] 

When we look at all the amazing heroes God has inspired in the Bible, it’s easy to stop with admiration. I challenge you to look deeper. God isn’t just inspiring heroes; he’s inspiring movements. And in all those movements, everyone plays a role.  Whether you’re leading or following, God is calling us to be part of His movement.

Gideon was just one person called by God. It is indeed interesting to see Gideon doubt the angel, then doubt himself, and then struggle with the reality of being called by the Lord. But what I find compelling is when the Lord calls him to action, Gideon doesn’t act alone. Let’s look deeper at the movement.

The Lord commands Gideon to tear down an altar to Baal and then sacrifice a prize bull to God on a new altar. Gideon knows the punishment for this act could cost him his life. So Gideon acts under the cover of darkness because of this fear. But he has also brought ten of his servants. They were following Gideon, but wouldn’t the safe choice have been to turn Gideon in to his father or to tell the town leaders what he was about to do? But the Lord was with Gideon, and the men chose to follow him.  They moved with him.

When the town saw what Gideon had done, they called for his death. But once again, we see the providence of God at work. His father argued that since Baal was supposed to be a god, it should be up to Baal to punish Gideon. The townspeople agreed, and Gideon is renamed “Jerub-Baal” which means to “let Baal contend with him.” 

By the end of the chapter, the Spirit of the Lord is on Gideon, and followers are flocking to him.  He’s taken his first steps as a leader, and the people are moving back to God.

God works through Gideon to inspire a movement. Gideon was God’s chosen leader, but his acts of faith inspired others to move: from a small group of servants who trusted Gideon, to his father, to the village, and then to the entire tribe. It takes both leaders and followers, all of whom are believers, to create a movement.

Inspiring people or being inspired are both acts of the Lord. Are you feeling called to start a movement, or is something in your life calling you to move?  This week, try to connect something in your prayers or study to an action you can take right now. Let’s go!