When I think about all the pressure that first century forefathers and foremothers had to face, it makes me grateful that I was born in my generation and not theirs. They paved the way of what raw faith looks like. From story to story–you’ll find that they rarely had an example of faith to follow. They were the trailblazers of faith themselves and we get to benefit from that hard work and grit today. Abraham being challenged to sacrifice his son, Noah being challenged to build an ark for a flood that wouldn’t happen until after many years, Mary being challenged to give birth in a mind-boggling miraculous way–it wasn’t easy, in fact it was extremely difficult. Many of them were called out of their comfort zone by God to move somewhere or do something–and to trust that whatever would follow, would be in some way a good thing no matter what it looked like.
Although we have these stories available to us to help guard our hearts from fear of what’s ahead, we can still struggle with fear. This is true especially in times of change and uncertainty. So then how do we handle the fear? Let’s let the scriptures help out. This is a quiet time to help battle fear about the future through the lives of three people with extraordinary faith.
GIDEON
The angel of the Lord came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.”
“Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.”
The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?”
“Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” Judges 6:11-15
Q – Gideon was threshing wheat, far from being a soldier in battle. Why do you think the angel of the Lord called him “mighty warrior”?
Q – Think of something that you are fearful of? Starting a business, moving to a new city, letting your kid study abroad, as a few examples. Seeing that God called Gideon by the title of what he planned for his life, what name could you envision God calling you. Pray about that.
Q – Why did Gideon doubt what the angel of the Lord said–a message from God himself.
Q – What could you be focusing on that is causing doubt, and what could you redirect your focus to that is faith-building.
Q – What message do you take away from the command God gave Gideon, “Go in the strength you have…Am I not sending you”?
Here are some scriptures to hold onto when you’re feeling fearful.
Isaiah 41:23 / Deuteronomy 31:8 / 2 Timothy 1:7 / 1 Peter 5:7
Rise & Shine Bright <3