Gideon

Do you just LOVE the story of Gideon?  I do!  It has always been one of my favorites!  In fact, if Mr. Grits did not have such an affinity for "normal" names one of our 3 boys would definitely have been named Gideon which means "God's mighty warrior."  Pretty tough name for a man who was hiding in a wine press for fear someone would see him doing his threshing. And for a man who had the audacity to ask God for a sign.  Twice.  After actually speaking to Him directly by way of a christophany.

OK, so back to the story... my favorite part of the story is how he was trying to raise up this great army to go against the Midianites who were oppressing the sons of Israel, who by the way, were in the midst of doing what was evil in the sight of the Lord at this time.   Long story short he takes all the men and thinks, OK we can do this. 

Then God says, "Errr... wrong, too many.  Send the scared ones home."  Exit stage left, 22,000 people.  10,000 remain.  Can't you just see Gideon... jaw-dropped going, "What the...?" 

So then God once again says, "Errrr... wrong again.  Too many.  Go down to the river and we gonna send some more boys home."  All the men who lapped water up like a dog were sent home.  300 remained and that was the "remnant" God used to smack down the Midianites.  Well, actually they killed themselves and scattered in confusion but you get what I'm saying.  The 300 actually went on to more incredible victories, if you want to read all about Gideon in Judges 6-8.  Good stuff.

OK, so I brought up that hugely long story to say...

I think I feel a wee bit like him, on a very minuscule scale... And certainly not in a self-congratulating way, like, "Hey look at Kim!  She's like GIDEON."  (I wish!) but more like I feel like I'm walking a bit in his shoes. 

It's the Scotland thing again... not only am I NOT gifted with administrative or leadership abilities, God is requiring these things of me.  I really have started to let go and just see where the Lord leads in what we are to share, etc but now He is "whittling down our army!"  We had about 22 and are now down to about 15, and only 4 of these are female!  A few months ago I would have gone psycho and flipped out saying that there was NO WAY this team was gonna work and why do I have to do all this work, but I really feel OK with all this.  I feel like I would have been saying, "O my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us?"   (6:13)  but now I'm trying to focus not on what MY response is to God's request but what HIS words were to Gideon.  "Have I not sent you?.....Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat Midian as one man."

My new mantra is "This is not my team.  These are not my people.  God will call and equip His team to reach His people."  There's good peace there. 

"And the land was undisturbed for forty years in the days of Gideon..."  Judg. 8:29