BEING COURAGEOUS IN GOD
The story of Gideon can be, at first, marked by fear and doubts. Apparently, Gideon was found hiding in the winepress, trying the thresh wheat. Gideon was a weak and fearful person. He was afraid of the Midianites who kept plundering their crops during harvest. Nevertheless, God chose him to be His instrument in delivering the Israelites from these enemies. Indeed, God delights in choosing unlikely candidates for His work. Being a woman, I am faced with a social thinking of the inferiority and weakness of women.
Even in the ministry, I tend to wonder if I am really called to it. Of course, the Bible is clear about the leadership of men and the relationship of women with it, as explained in the letters of the apostle Paul. However, the Scripture gives encouragement to my own weakness and some learning disabilities. First Corinthians 1:26-29 explains that God has chosen the weak, foolish, and base things, and those that seem little in the eyes of men for His own purposes. Even the disciples of God are but common fishermen and sinners, but worthless nobodies are just the kind of people God uses and works with. Moreover, Gideon needed signs and wonders, but God has already given His word – the Bible. Thus, there is no more need for some extraordinary miracles to know God’s will. As long as my calling is based on the Word of God, I do not have any excuses to refrain from doing it.
Further, the ministry of evangelism is also by faith. God merely used 300 warriors to show Gideon and Israel His infinite power. In fact, God can even use none of them to kill the Midianites and the Amalekites. Likewise, the ministry is not dependent on numbers or on my wisdom or on promotional programs, but on the power of God that can change the hearts of the people. This is a reminder that, when faced with the fear that some people may not listen/respond to the word of God I share, I just have to trust God and continue on the work just like Gideon.
Bibliography
Hindson, Ed. Courageous Faith: Life Lessons from the Old Testament Heroes. Tennessee: AMG Publishers, 2003.
MacArthur, John. Twelve Ordinary Men. Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Inc., 2002.
