September 26, 2024

                      Help Is Waiting

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?”

– Judges 6:14

The photos are sobering. Truck after truck after truck of linemen waiting in various staging areas. Ambulances driving one after another on the interstate. Cargo containers filled with supplies lined up one after another.

They are waiting for the storm to pass. Literally. Then they will begin their last trek toward the horror zone. It’s almost impossible to envision what awaits them. Yet we can. Six years ago Hurricane Michael destroyed Mexico Beach. Now Hurricane Helene is poised to destroy an area further east.

God called Gideon to go. Gideon was full of excuses. He checked and double-checked to make sure that it truly was God calling him. But in the end Gideon went. Why? Because God would be there, leading the way and saving His people.

We forget that sometimes. God is with us. We can ask for and accept His help. Or we can go our own way and try to do it on our own. Sometimes I think God allows the hard because it’s in that place where we are most likely to depend on Him.

The coming days, weeks and years – yes, years – will be difficult for the people who experience a direct hit from Hurricane Helene. But they won’t travel the road alone. Help is waiting on the edge of disaster.

I am so thankful for the people who answer the call to go. May God direct their every movement, keeping them safe as they live out their mission to be the hands and feet of Jesus.

Saturday, July 16, 2011

Follow God's Directions

Then the people of Ephraim asked Gideon, “Why have you treated us this way? Why didn’t you send for us when you first went out to fight the Midianites?” And they argued heatedly with Gideon. -- Judges 8:1

No matter what you do in this life, someone is going to criticize you. It doesn’t matter how wonderful the conclusion. It doesn’t matter how much effort you put in to achieving your goal. It doesn’t matter that God called you to do it and gave you victory. Nope. Someone is going to be upset.

That’s what Gideon faced when he defeated the Midianites. It didn’t matter that he was following God’s instructions. And it didn’t matter that he did ask the men of Ephraim to help round up the scattering Midianites. They wanted to be part of the original victory. They wanted some of that glory.

Gideon was a smart man. He’d proven that by listening to God. So, he placated the men of Ephraim by telling them how wonderful they were and how small he and his clan were. Yes. Gideon stroked their egos. And it worked. The Bible tells us that the men of Ephraim were no longer angry.

I’ll probably never understand why some people need to feel superior to others in order to feel good about themselves. I know their self-esteem must be in the toilet for them to be that way. I know I should feel sorry for them and pray for them. And sometimes I do. Other times I just get so aggravated that I have to really pray that God will hold my tongue because I truly don’t think I can. Know what I mean?

The older I get the more I realize how little I truly know. I also have come to realize that the opinions of others aren’t always as important as I once thought they were. And it’s because we all have less than pure motives, no matter how much we try to convince ourselves otherwise. It’s called being human. We humans are a selfish bunch and that’s not something any of us really want to face. We want good things for the people we love but we also want those good things because those good things will reflect back on us in a positive way. Think about it.

Then consider that God does have pure motives for everything He does. He always wants what is best for us. He always provides excellent advice and constant support. He never leaves us alone, no matter what we’ve done or how steep the mountain that looms before us may seem. So the next time you’re thinking about trying something new or something truly scary, talk to God. And listen to what He has to say. His opinion is the only one that matters.

Friday, July 15, 2011

Remember Who Your Father Is

“Sir,” Gideon replied, “if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? And where are all the miracles our ancestors told us about? Didn’t they say, ‘The LORD brought us up out of Egypt’? But now the LORD has abandoned us and handed us over to the Midianites.” -- Judges 6:13

Have you ever felt like Gideon, abandoned by God and trying to figure out why? Most of us probably have. Of course, God never abandons us. It’s just that circumstances, whether it’s not getting something we want or losing someone we love, sometimes cause us to pull away from Him.

We want a miracle. We expect God to swoop in a save us from whatever it is that we’re facing. Sometimes He does. Sometimes He doesn’t. And sometimes He calls us to step up so He can use us to do His work.

That is a scary place indeed. It’s the place where you ask again and again if God truly expects you to do it. You. Gideon offered God what he thought was a reasonable excuse for not stepping up. “But Lord,” Gideon replied, “how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least in my entire family!” (Judges 6:15) As if God didn’t already know.

We want God to do something wonderful for us. We just don’t want to be involved until it’s time to take the glory and reap the rewards. God rarely works that way. Not that He couldn’t. He’d just prefer that we learn to trust Him along the way.

Yet we still doubt. The Bible tells us not to test God but Gideon did. First, he asked for a sign that the LORD was the One truly speaking to Him. God provided it. Then Gideon asked God to prove He was truly going to save Israel -- using Gideon -- by letting a wool fleece be wet with dew in the morning even though the ground was dry. God did. Then Gideon asked God to do the reverse. He did that too.

How many times have you asked God for a sign? Be honest now. We’ve all done it repeatedly. We want to be sure we’re doing what God wants us to do. So we ask. Then He gives us a sign or speaks to our hearts. But we’re still scared, so we ask again. Sometimes I wonder if God wouldn’t prefer to shake some sense into us rather than continue with our little song and dance routine.

Well, as we all know, Gideon was successful and He did lead a small army forward and they defeated the Midianites. And He gave God credit for the victory. Because, really, the victory did belong to God.

We forget sometimes, when we’re making excuses and doubting ourselves and God, that He can do anything. We see Him as something smaller than He is because we can’t imagine a God so great He can do anything -- including using an insignificant human to do great things for His people.

Next time you start making excuses, remember who your Creator is. Remember who your Father is. Remember who your God is. Then go forward with courage. He won't ever let you down.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Change Your Path

"Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD,..." -- Judges 6:1a

The woman on the radio station was talking about the pit and how to get out of it. That's what she said anyway, The dark highway also known as Interstate 10 let me focus on her words. Nope. Not Beth Moore and not a whole lot about the pit. But the unknown speaker did make one really good point -- if you know you're doing something you shouldn't be doing, stop doing it!

Seems kind of obvious doesn't it? At least, until the finger is pointed at you and you're the one who has to change. Keep making the same mistakes and expect to end up with the same results. Common sense. The Israelites had a little trouble with that one. They would sin and God would punish them. They would cry out for forgiveness and He would deliver them. Then the cycle would repeat. Got anything like that going on in your life?

Oh, it doesn't have to be something life shattering like alcohol in abundance or cheating on your spouse. It can be something simple like visiting folks who are ill or dropping off a bag of food to the local food bank. Stop finding excuses and just do it. You'll be glad you did.

Same with volunteering. You can volunteer in your head a thousand times but the one time you can make a difference is when you actually volunteer. Surprising, huh? Same thing with Bible study. You can mean to read your Bible every day but it won't matter until you actually do it. You can intend to put God first but your actions should reflect that fact in how you live your life. Do they?

Most of us have good intentions. We do. We want to be good people. We want to be good Christians. But want and doing are two different things. And only the doing matters. Don't keep making the same mistakes day after day, week after week. Take a step today toward being the person you want to be.

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Bible Lessons For Today

"In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit." -- Judges 17:6 and Judges 21:25

This statement leapt out at me -- twice -- in the book of Judges. Isn't that how it is today? Each of us does as he or she sees fit. We don't worry about anyone or anything but ourselves and our own needs and wants.

The Bible reveals again and again the hilly terrain this causes. The Israelites would sin. They would worship idols. They would betray God. Then they would end up in deep despair, desperate for relief from a misery of their own making. They would cry out to God. He would have pity on them and come to their aid. They would rejoice and vow to follow and serve God, and God alone, always. Then they would betray Him again...and again.

Sound familiar? The Bible is a living record of what was and what will be. You and I sin just like the Israelites did. Oh, we may not cast an idol and worship it. Instead, we choose money, prestige, or some other thing. We lie. We steal. We ignore others' needs in favor of our own.

Not me, you say. Stop and think for a moment. Did you tell your friend she looked great when in reality her new outfit adds an extra 10 pounds she really doesn't need? Oh, that was different wasn't it. You just wanted to spare her feelings. A lie is a lie, no matter the intention.

Same goes for fudging on your taxes. Everyone does it, you say. It doesn't make it right or honest. Lying to Uncle Sam is lying just the same.

So is stealing. "Borrowing" a pen from work is taking something that doesn't belong to you. Same goes for when you conduct personal business on company time. It may be "acceptable" but it is stealing time that your employer is paying for.

How many times have we turned away when someone needed our help? We don't have time to cook and deliver a casserole to someone who is sick. We aren't available for lunch with a friend who is desperately lonely after a bitter divorce. We rationalize our lack of volunteer activity, our failure to tithe regularly, our focus on self as being normal and healthy. We meet our needs first and we're happy to give whatever is left -- except there's rarely anything left to give to anyone else.

Maybe someday someone will write about us "everyone did as he saw fit."

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Follow God No Matter What

"Now the Ephraimites asked Gideon, 'Why have you treated us like this? Why didn't you call us when you went to fight Midian?' And they criticized him sharply." -- Judges 8:1

It figures. Do something wonderful and someone, somewhere will get upset with you because they weren't included in the glory. The Ephraimites weren't part of the 300 men who fought with Gideon.  They were asked to seize the waters of the Jordan -- and they did -- but they were still mad.

Now Gideon was fairly smart. He attempted to soothe the Ephraimites' bruised feelings by explaining that their job was far more important than his. It didn't work. Nor did his accomplishments seem to matter to them. In their defense, few people want to take out the garbage when they could have been serving the meal.

God chose Gideon. It's that simple. No matter what you do, there's always going to be someone jealous of anything good that happens in your life. It's just like when something goes wrong, there's going to be someone around to say I told you so.

Gideon and his men kept pursuing the Midianites but others were afraid to even given them bread to eat. You would think they wouldn't be so afraid since God was so obviously with Gideon and his men. How else could the Israelites have managed to send the Midianites running? But sometimes our fear makes it impossible to see God's presence among us. Other times it's just a matter of not wanting to share when you're not part of the game.

Sometimes when I'm dealing with the petty jealousies of others, I try to remember that Gideon dealt with it as well. I remember that Gideon faced obstacles when others refused to help. God used Gideon and I pray that He will use me as well.

Friday, April 9, 2010

Gideon Followed God

"But Lord," Gideon asked, "how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family." -- Judges 6:15

Isn't that just like us? God tells us He's going to do something wonderful through us and we doubt. Not us, we say. I can't do that, we protest.

Hello! God is "doing" not us. We are merely the instrument He uses. Besides, God can only tell the truth. If He tells us He is going to do something, He will.

I'm afraid, however, that I would be like Gideon. I would want a sign. Then another sign. And, in the middle of it all, I would want further reassurance. I have to laugh. Actually, it sounds just like me. How about you? Ever ask God for a sign? Yeah, thought so.

God was patient with Gideon. He gave him the sign Gideon asked for. He didn't even get upset when Gideon asked for yet another sign. And when, in the middle of saving the Israelites, Gideon needed reassurance, God provided it.

Of course, through all this, Gideon praised the Lord. God knew Gideon's heart just like God knows the hearts of all of us. When we genuinely seek to know and do God's will, He will guide us and help us.

For those who don't know the rest of this story, God used Gideon and 300 men to defeat the Midianites, the Amalekits and all the other eastern peoples who were as "thick as locusts."

With God, all things are possible if we only believe and trust in His greatness and His goodness.