Life often feels like a lot of effort with nothing gained. It reminds me of what Jason Kidd said after the Dallas Mavericks drafted him: “We’re going to turn this team around 360 degrees!”
At times, the Bible seems like a history book in which God makes and fulfills promises to the ancients, but the words somehow lack immediacy to our struggling lives. And yet, it’s funny how the anxieties that overwhelm our lives seem identical to those that biblical people struggled against.
Even though Scripture provides assurance of God’s promises, assurance doesn’t negate the stressful circumstances that force us to trust God.
Truth doesn’t make the hard parts of life go away. We still have to trust God with that truth.
God called Gideon to deliver Israel from their enemies. But like many of us, Gideon hesitated to obey in spite of God’s assurance:
Go in this your strength and deliver Israel from the hand of Midian. Have I not sent you? . . . Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat Midian as one man. —Judges 6:14, 16
Outnumbered more than four to one, Gideon thought he needed reassurance before he could obey.
The fleece didn’t cause the Midianites to disappear; Gideon still had to trust God for deliverance.
Gideon shows us that when we need assurance from God, a fleece isn’t the best way to get it. For later, when God reduced Gideon’s forces from 32,000 to 300 at En Harod, the fleece test proved absolutely worthless to Gideon’s assurance.
A God of impossibilities shows His power in impossible situations. Wayne Stiles
Gideon already knew God’s will through God’s promise to him. The problem was Gideon’s fear to take God at His Word.
Have you noticed you always have something to trust God for in your life? There is always an obstacle to trusting Him.
Because the Lord allows circumstances that force us to trust Him, God’s will seldom follows the smooth path. That’s why many people never see the power of God in their lives, because they never trust God long enough for Him to demonstrate His might.
Does this describe someone you know?
If you’re looking for how to turn your life around, the “full-circle” method gets you nowhere.
If you only do what you’ve always done, you’ll only get what you’ve always gotten. Wayne Stiles
God’s Word remains the only source you can consistently count on—that excludes people, circumstances, and even yourself. This is true even when you’d swear it wasn’t:
God gave the Scriptures to guide you and to remind you of the danger of decisions based on feelings and circumstances alone.
Your situation today may seem as impossible, bleak, and desperate as Gideon’s seemed to him. It probably is. Remember, you will always have something to trust God for.
Cling to truth of Scripture in spite of your whirlwind. Or for all your efforts, you’ll only turn your life around 360 degrees.
Learn the top 6 Lessons from Visiting the Holy Land more than 20 times in 21 years with Dr. Wayne Stiles, a longtime devotional scholar who is passionate about sharing the practical application of bringing God's Word to life.
Tell me what you think: What are you trusting God for right now? To leave a comment, just click here.