God is Greater than Our Fears
The Story of Gideon
“20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” -Ephesians 3:20-21
Have you ever noticed how in the Bible, God’s greatest plans don’t always make much earthly sense? Like when God chose an elderly, barren couple to be the father and mother of a great nation, or when Jesus told the disciples to feed a crowd of thousands of people with nothing more than a couple Chick-Fil-A combo meals (that’s how I imagine it, anyway).
Gideon must have felt that God had lost his mind when the angel of the Lord appeared to him and told him to go defeat the Midianites in Judges 6. The Midianites were far stronger than the people of Israel, and even among the Israelites, Gideon was probably the last person you’d want leading the way in a potential fight. If your three options were The Incredible Hulk, The Rock, or a scrawny preacher from the Midwest, Gideon was the scrawny preacher. He was the smallest and weakest member of his family, and his family was one of the least significant ones in all of Israel.
The Midianites were so fearsome that Israel didn’t even bother putting up a fight when they came to pillage their towns and villages. They just ran to the hills to hide out in the caves. So when the Angel appeared to Gideon and told them to attack the Midianites, Gideon reacted the way anyone would if they were in his sandals: fear and disbelief. I can’t do it. You’ve got the wrong guy. Please send someone else who knows what they’re doing! Can’t we send Chuck Norris or something? Maybe get the Avengers on the phone?
Don’t Be Afraid
But here’s the thing about Gideon’s story — God knew all of that ahead of time, and he chose Gideon anyway. God doesn’t typically choose people based on their worldly wisdom or human abilities; he chooses people who will give him the best opportunity to demonstrate his power and glory in their lives.
When God wants to demonstrate his power, he chooses someone who seems weak by the world’s standards, and when he wants to demonstrate his wisdom, he chooses someone who seems foolish. Paul says it this way in 1 Corinthians 1:26-27:
“26 Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.”
That verse wasn’t written about Gideon specifically, but it certainly could have been. Gideon wasn’t wise or powerful, but God chose him to accentuate his power and make sure that Israel (and their enemies) knew what the God of Israel was capable of.
And actually, there is one (and only one) passage in the New Testament that mentions Gideon, Hebrews 11:32-34. In that chapter, the Hebrew writer has been highlighting the incredible men and women of faith from the Old Testament. By the time he gets to Gideon, he doesn’t have time to go into the full story, but simply summarizes it by mentioning how his “weakness was turned into strength.” That’s the enduring legacy of Gideon — a man who trusted God enough to let God’s power shine through his personal weakness.
Think about that for a moment. God has all the power in the world to turn our weakness into strength. That’s why God was able to confidently tell Gideon that he was a mighty warrior (Judges 6:12) and he didn’t have to be afraid (Judges 6:23). It wasn’t because God was delusional about Gideon’s military might; it was because God knew what Gideon would be able to accomplish when he took a leap of faith and let God work through him in a mighty way.
Whose Opinion Matters More?
When God spoke these words over Gideon — “The Lord is With You, Mighty Warrior” — God and Gideon had two very different perspectives on the kind of person Gideon was. Gideon saw himself as weak, insignificant, powerless, totally unqualified for the job he was given.
But God saw him as a mighty warrior — not because of his own abilities, but because God’s power was about to be at work in his life.
And here’s the point I would make about that difference of opinion. It’s so important for us to believe the truth that God speaks over us rather than brush it aside because of our own fears and insecurities. We need to learn to believe that God’s view of us is true even when we don’t feel that way about ourselves.
And here’s a quick reminder of the truth God is speaking over us:
You are a new creation, a beloved child of God.
You are created in his image, saved by grace, and justified by faith.
You have the Spirit of God living in you because Jesus has died for you.
You are his ambassador in this world, you are more than a conqueror, and you are his masterpiece — created to do the good things he planned for us long ago.
We might not always see ourselves the same way, but those are the truths God is speaking over us, and we need to learn to take him at his word.
Make Fear a Guest, Not a Permanent Resident.
Fear is a natural response to an overwhelming situation. Everyone feels it. I’d actually be a little worried about you if you never felt afraid. But it’s neither healthy nor faithful for us to let fear become the primary decision-maker in our walk with God.
I like the way Max Lucado phrases this concept: “The presence of fear does not mean you have no faith. Fear visits everyone. But make your fear a visitor, not a resident.”
Fear is going to be part of our lives, but we are not obligated to let it take up a permanent residence in our hearts. We can acknowledge it, talk about it, pray about it, and take whatever necessary precautions are appropriate, but then we have to trust in God’s goodness and take the leap of faith in spite of our fears.
That’s exactly what Gideon did, he sure enough the Lord was with him in a powerful way. God gave Gideon the victory on the battlefield, and the people of Israel had peace for an entire generation. The only reason that was possible was because Gideon chose to believe the truth God was speaking over him instead of letting his fear call the shots in his life.
So what do we learn from Gideon’s story? We learn that the power of God enables us to courageously follow Jesus and trust his plan for our lives, despite our fears.
Salient, timely, and superbly written