Holy, Loving, Faithful
OPENING PRAYER:
Father, prepare my heart this week to see more of who you are and who you made me to be. Open my eyes to see your truth.
The LORD turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?”
“Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.”
The LORD answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.” Judges 6:14-16 (NIV)
REFLECT:
Scripture is full of stories of people that are called directly by God and question if they are the right person for the job. We see humans like Moses (Exodus 3-4), Sarah and Abraham (Genesis 12, 15-17, 21), and Gideon (Judges 6-8) questioning what God has told them.
We also see others question the people that God is calling. David, for instance, was doubted by his family and by others along his journey. Doubt is a steady theme throughout man’s history.
Time after time, we see God come through for those in the Bible that doubt. With the blessing of hindsight, we can even find ourselves laughing at the heroes of these stories, knowing that God is asking them to be part of his story for specific reasons and that God will come through in the end.
APPLY:
Whether the doubt comes from us or from those around us, it’s easy and natural to doubt our ability or qualifications to carry out what God calls us to do. The beauty of that is --- it’s not up to our ability or our plan, but God’s!
When in doubt, take the time to remind yourself about God’s character. God is holy, loving, faithful, never changing, all knowing, infinite, good, just, merciful, gracious, and glorious. We simply have to be obedient because he is everything we need.
When we remember these things, we can be confident about who God is and trust his direction.
CLOSING PRAYER:
Thank you, God, for who you are and for the knowledge and reminders of your character. Continue to show us more of yourself every day.