The "Mighty Warrior" in Each of Us

             Ephesians 2:10 tells us that God has prepared, in advance, certain good works for each of us to do.  Why then, do we often fear that we are inadequate or unprepared to do what He calls us to do?  We should recognize that He knows exactly who we are and what we are capable of accomplishing.

            This thought was driven home to me recently when I read the book of Judges.  As the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, his first words were, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior” (Judges 6: 12b NIV84).  He was about to call Gideon to lead His troops into battle, but if you consider where Gideon was and what he was doing, when the angel appeared, the thought of Gideon as a “mighty warrior” is almost laughable. 

            When the angel appeared, Gideon was in a wine press trying to thresh wheat (Judges 6: 11).  Anyone who knows anything about threshing wheat knows that it is best done out on an open, flat surface.  It is a tedious process of separating the grain of wheat from the stalk.  Sometimes oxen were used to tread over the stalks time and again.  Other times, the stalks were beaten against a flat rock until the grains were sufficiently separated.  In contrast to the usual threshing floor, a wine press was often dug into the ground where the juice could be squeezed from the grapes.  To adequately contain the juice, the wine press had to be smaller than the typical threshing floor.

            So why was Gideon making life more difficult than it already was by trying to thresh wheat in a wine press?  The simple answer: he was afraid!  The Midianites ruled over Israel and often ruined or stole their crops, so Gideon hid to try to preserve what little food he had.

            Yet, when God approached him through the angel, God referred to him as a “mighty warrior”.  That makes no sense until you realize what God already knew.  He had prepared Gideon to lead the Israelites into battle, and with only 300 men, he conquered the Midianites. 

            Whatever God calls us to do, He has prepared us to do.  We may think we have to hide, like Gideon, or that we don’t have the skills or the wisdom, but if He calls us, He has already prepared us.  He knows exactly what we need, and He will guide us every step of the way, just as He did Gideon.  If you feel God calling you to a difficult task, don’t shy away from it.  Accept the fact that He already knows that you are a “mighty warrior” and that He will go with you into whatever battle you face.  God prepared us in advance to do the good works that He has chosen.  We just have to say “yes” when He calls!

Ephesians 2: 10

Judges 6: 11 - 7: 25

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hi, I'm the Sun Porch Lady

  Hi, I’m the Sun Porch Lady. I recently retired and while most of the world thinks that is a wonderful thing, I've found it to be anything but wonderful. I've been going to school and/or working since I was six years old so finding myself with nothing, but free time is a whole new experience.   I have no structure, no daily schedule, and seemingly no purpose in my life.   While that may sound like heaven, I believe that Christians never retire.   God just repurposes them. As I struggled to find new purpose and bring some structure back to my life, I turned to writing.   Over the years, I have often written devotional thoughts or put various ideas to paper.   I can’t say that I’ve ever been very good at journaling but from time to time, I have written about events in my life that taught me values or made me more aware of God working in my life.   So, to keep busy and hopefully spark an interest in others I've decided to create this blog. I’m callin...
Read more

Is there a "Banana Cake" for you in 2025?

                 Most families have at least one Christmas tradition.   Our family is no exception.   One of our traditions when I was growing up was my Mom’s banana cake.   She only made it once a year, at Christmas time, and the whole family loved it—even my Father who was a very picky eater.   Once the cake cooled, Mom would cut it down the middle and then hide half of it.   She wanted to make sure that we would still have some when friends or family dropped in.   We knew better than to search for her hiding place, and she knew that if she didn’t hide part of it, we would eat it all.               When my Mom got sick and could no longer bake the cake, my Dad decided that it was my job.   As my closest friends know, I am not much of a cook—although I’ve seen some improvement since I retired.   That first year was a disaster.   Th...
Read more

Freedom Isn't Free!

             On Christmas night, 1776, George Washington engineered a surprise attack on Britain’s German allies, capturing 1000 Hessian troops.   The story of him and his troops crossing the icy Delaware that night gave hope to a new nation fighting for its life.   Regrettably, the celebration was short-lived.   Just a week later, the enlistments of most of his troops were ending, and it seemed unlikely that they would stay to continue the fight for freedom.   As he faced that prospect, Washington lined up his troops and offered this plea. “My brave fellows, you have done all I asked you to do, and more than can be reasonably expected; but your country is at stake, your wives, your houses and all that you hold dear. You have worn yourselves out with fatigues and hardships, but we know not how to spare you. If you will consent to stay one month longer, you will render that service to the cause of liberty, and to your cou...
Read more