Gideon

People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.

1 Samuel 16:7

We named our son Gideon, which means “Warrior”, because we wanted him to grow to be a mighty warrior for the Lord…a man of courage, not ashamed of the Gospel. Our Gideon is thirteen and we see only dimly who he will become. But we are not discouraged because the Gideon of the Bible did not start out as a valiant warrior.

At that time in Scripture, God’s people were being terrorized by the Midianites. They were hiding in caves and mountain strongholds because the Midianites were ruining their crops and camping on their land. Judges 6:6 says, Midian so impoverished the Israelites that they cried out to the Lord for help.

God heard their cry and sent his prophet to lead them. He found this prophet, Gideon, hiding in a winepress threshing wheat. He did not look mighty. He did not look courageous….and he certainly was no warrior. But God sent an angel to Gideon: “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” Gideon argued with him, giving God plenty of evidence that he was not mighty nor a warrior.

Here is what is so beautiful to me: God saw the man Gideon would become. He saw all the possibilities and how his obediences would grow him in might, strength, and courage. He saw his humble heart, his desperation to help his people, his obedient spirit. God knew that he could do great things for his people through this simple man.

That’s how God sees you too. He sees the woman you can become as you walk with him. He sees your beauty, your heart for him, your desire to know him, and he is not impatient with the process! Gideon asked for proof after proof that God knew what he was doing, and the Lord was so longsuffering with him…waiting, teaching, guiding. He will do that for you too.

Thank you, Lord, for seeing in me the woman you created me to be. Use your word to teach me, rebuke me, correct me and train me in righteousness, so that I may be thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

Jill Hardin