Judges 6:11-35

Early in his young life, our oldest child nearly killed me using only his words. Every minute in between “Good mornin,’ Mama! It’s a sunny day!” and “Still sunny. NOT time for bed!” was filled with comments about everything he heard, saw, or thought about, and questions about anything and everything you can imagine. 

He didn’t always like the answers I gave him. One day before preschool he asked me if dinosaurs were still alive, and hearing that they were indeed extinct sent him into a tailspin. He sat himself down in the middle of the living room floor and threw a proper fit as he mourned the loss of his long-dreamed-of career as a dinosaur trainer.

I could have shushed him. I could have picked him up and forced him into his car seat and taken him to school in some kind of mood...but I didn’t. Oh I shushed him plenty, and there were times when it was necessary to pick him up mid-tantrum so we could leave, but not that day. I chose to pick him up, hold him, and listen while he felt all his feelings, and when he had gathered himself I took him to preschool.

Gideon encounters an angel of the Lord and immediately starts tossing out questions (v13, 15). The angel answers his questions, but Gideon doesn’t like everything he hears. He asks for a sign (v17,18), and God gives it (v21). God absolutely could have shushed Gideon, scooped him up, and taken him straight to the battlefield--there were nations to conquer in the name of the Lord! But He waited. God waited for Gideon to ask his questions, voice his concerns, and gather himself before they set out to accomplish the task ahead.

We are not unlike Gideon (and sometimes toddlers!): full of questions and observations about the goings on in the world, throwing fits, having pity parties, and asking for signs when we don't like or believe what we’ve been told. Gideon plays a key role in the deliverance of God’s people from the Midianites (Judges 7), despite his shortcomings. We might not be called to deliver an entire people group, but we can accomplish much with His help, too!

Do you ever feel like a nobody from nowhere? “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” (Judges 6:12) He was with Gideon, and He’s with you today. Let’s go!