Heb 11:32 “And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets”
Why in the world is Gideon listed in Hebrews Chapter 11, affectionately known as the Hall of Faith? That was my question as I approached the story of Gideon, told in Judges Chapters 6-8. He seemed like an average Joe whom God used to accomplish extraordinary events in history. God’s greatness was clearly demonstrated but I could not grasp what it was that made Gideon great.
Then it was revealed to me. What made Gideon great is simple; he acted on the promises that God gave him. Six times God assures Gideon through promises (Judges 6:14, 16, 23; 7:7, 9, 14). Once Gideon understood what God was telling him, he never looked back. I love Gideon’s reaction the moment when it all made sense him. It was after the sixth and final promise- “It came about that when Gideon heard the account of the dream and its interpretation that he bowed in worship” (Judges 7:15)
Like Gideon, my family was tested in 2009 in the area of finances. I was a commission-only sales representative for an industry that was hit hard by the economy. Each month the paychecks got smaller and our savings evaporated. Then in August we ran out of money and all we had left was money from a 401K.
Knowing that we needed a miracle to pay our mortgage, I went to my wife with the promise of God from Matthew 6:31-33:
Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing? ‘For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
It was decision time. I asked her if we were going to believe this promise or if it was time to panic. We both agreed to believe the promise of Matthew 6:33.
Once the decision was made, I asked God to provide money aside from the 401K and let it be evident by the 15th of the month. If not, then by faith I would make the arrangements to use the 401K. The 15th came and there was nothing in the mailbox and nothing new in my checking account. My conclusion was that God wanted me to use the 401K. It was at that moment that I felt a nudging to call my lender. So I did.And the conversation went as follows:
Me: I am calling to tell you that my mortgage payment may be late this month. I wanted to let you know that we have run into hard times but intend to have money to you as soon as possible.
Lender: No problem, let me check your account…. I am showing your account as being paid this month.
Me: There must be some mistake. We have not sent in a payment and I am confident that your system is wrong.
Lender: Let me check again…. yep, paid!
Me: LISTEN TO ME! YOUR SYSTEM IS WRONG!!!!
Lender: Sir, can I give you some advice?
Me: Sure.
Lender: I would just take it. There is nothing we can do to change what the system says. I would consider this a gift.
I fell down and worshiped God.
All decisions that we make are made from a promise. When times get tough, the world says- ”The tough get going”. God’s promise is that He will provide. Is it the world’s promise or is it the promise of God that will be the determining factor?
Pray that you too can be like Gideon. Look diligently for the promises that God gives you and hold on to them. What made Gideon great is that he took the promises that God gave him and acted upon them. May we all be like Gideon.
Recent Comments