Word-Filled Wednesday ~#43~ To Fleece or Not to Fleece?

PASSAGE: "'But Lord,' Gideon asked, 'how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family' . . . Gideon said to God, 'If You will save Israel by my hand as You have promised ~ look, I will place a wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that You will save Israel by my hand, as You said.' And that is what happened . . . Then Gideon said to God, 'Do not be angry with me . . . This time make the fleece dry and the ground covered with dew.' That night God did so . . . " ~Judges 6:15, 36-39 [emphasis mine]

LESSON LEARNED: Poor Gideon, he must have been the 'baby' of the family. I'm the 'baby' of my family and there are times when I feel like I will NEVER be taken seriously by my elders. I know my family loves me, but I will ALWAYS be "the baby."

Gideon's whole family must have been the runts of the litter because he said they were the weakest of the clan and he was the weakest of the weak. It almost congers up images of Barney Fife in Biblical garb. But God is good and He has a purpose for everyone, even the babies of the families.

God made Gideon, and He knows that even the weak can be strong; He knew that He had given Gideon a brain and faith enough to know that God keeps His promises and will do what He says He will do. Even in our human frailties God is faithful. Even when we set out our own fleeces and ask God for some sort of proof that we have heard His call correctly, even when a situation begs to overwhelm us and our faith is only that of a mustard seed; God loves us so much that He uses us for His purposes. He uses US to be the instrument that fulfills His promises!

God must lovingly chuckle at us, His children, as He guides us into the events that serve His purposes. Gideon felt it necessary to "remind" God of His promises (see verses above) ~ I wonder if God prompts us to repeat His promises so that WE will remember them, to cause our faith to grow; after all, God doesn't need reminded of His promises. And in reminding us of what He has promised, we are strengthened and our backs become a little straighter, our shoulders roll back and our heads are held a little higher because we know that God goes before us. All we have to do is be obedient and walk the path laid out for us. Fleece or no fleece.

Blessings from Ohio . . . Kim<><