The Lord is with you, O valiant warrior

"The LORD is with you, O valiant warrior." (Judges 6:12 NAS95)

Observation:  God's presence defines us.  Gideon wasn't a warrior of valor because of His family: "my family is the least in Manasseh" (Judges 6:15 NAS95).  He wasn't a man of might because of his stature: "I am the youngest in my father's house." (Judges 6:15 NAS95)

Gideon was the runt of his family.  And yet, God choose him because God loves to choose the little people.  He loves to choose those who don't see their potential.  Those who are unassuming and lack presumption.  Those who are even doubtful like Gideon.  Why?  Because:

"God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God." (1 Corinthians 1:27–29 NAS95)

God chooses the ones that the world casts aside that He may receive all the glory... that no man may boast of his own ability before Him.  God chooses the little ones that he may be large in our lives.  He chooses the weak ones that He may be strong for us.  The Lord chooses that which is despised that we might delight ourselves in Him.  The call of God is all about His glory.  All about His honor.  When God calls a man, He is saying... "I am going to glorify myself through your humble and broken life.   I am going to show myself strong through your weakness and wise through your foolishness."

Wow!  What an awesome God we serve.

Application:  Today I got an email from my friend Sylvia about her deceased husband Jeff.  It was a response to a message I had sent in which I told her that I had shared Jeff's story with our church in Alamosa, and several people came forward to take an envelope with a label on the outside that said, "Your Inheritance from Jeff."  I would encourage you to click on the preceding link, and read Jeff's story.  But before you do, here is what Sylvia had to say:

For so much of his life Jeff felt his life was without reason.  He was not "arriving" according to the world's standards. He never felt he had a "career..."  

...His spiritual testimony- whether he shared it himself or not- is incredible.  Praise be to God.

You see, Jeff wasn't a talker, or a bragger, or a boaster.  However, through a two year battle with cancer, through faithfully waking every morning at 5am to read his bible and commune with Jesus in the months just before he found out he had cancer, and by praying all the way through his illness, "God thank You for our blessings," this humble man became a vessel through which  God has been glorified.  I hope you'll read Jeff's story that God may be glorified in your life as well.

Because even though you may not feel like the wisest, the strongest, or the boldest, God can use you as he used Jeff.  It's not your ability that counts, but your availability.  Not your strength, but your weakness surrendered to Christ that will make all the difference.  

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I confess today, that I am nothing without you.  I confess that I long for my life to bring glory to your name.  So please Jesus, take hold of me like you took hold of Jeff.  Let me realize that it is when I am weak that You may show Yourself strong.  When I am humble that You may glorify Your name through my life.  O Jesus humble me that You might be glorified.  Inhabit me that others might see Your glory and worship You.  Let my life be an empty vessel filled with Your Spirit.  Use me as You used Gideon.  Use me as You used Jeff.  Not because they were worthy.  But because You could be shown worthy through their humble and contrite spirits:

"For thus says the high and exalted One Who lives forever, whose name is Holy, "I dwell on a high and holy place, And also with the contrite and lowly of spirit In order to revive the spirit of the lowly And to revive the heart of the contrite." (Isaiah 57:15 NAS95)