Scriptures of Encouragement ~ An AHA Moment!

God gave me an AHA moment in Sunday School this past week. 

Let's look at Judges 6:11-13. "Now the Angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth tree which was in Ophrah...while his son Gideon threshed wheat in the winepress, in order to hide it from the Midianites. And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said to him, "The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!" Gideon said to Him, 'O my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us?...'"

Notice verse 11: "The Angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth tree..." 

The Lord sat under the tree watching Gideon work like crazy in his own strength trying to solve the problem of his enemies, the Midianites. He sat there! I wonder how long the Lord sat and watched His child before He intervened. How often does He come near and watch us, waiting for us to acknowledge His Presence and power?

The Angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon in verse 12 and said, "The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!" Do you suppose the Lord heard Gideon's cries for help or do you suppose the Lord had mercy on His fearful child and responded before Gideon turned to Him? Something tells me Gideon had not turned to the Lord before this. I believe this is an example of God's grace and mercy. Verse 13 gives us the answer: "Gideon said to Him, 'O my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us?..."

Can anyone besides me hear your own voice saying the same thing?!

In the midst of our panic, God is right there. Waiting. Watching. Listening. I have learned that "the eyes of the Lord roam to and fro across the earth seeking those who need to be strengthened" (2 Chronicles 16:9).

But we have to choose to let go of the reins. We must choose to open our eyes to see the Lord our God in our midst, waiting for us to let go and trust Him.

I believe the Lord watched Gideon's frenzy and then encouraged him with words from a heavenly perspective, "You mighty man of valor!" (Notice the exclamation point - God's, not mine.) God, the Father, believes in us. He calls us by His Name.

But He also wants us to call Him by His Name.

Jesus.



Father, forgive us for the times we try to handle things in our own strength when You are right there waiting and watching, hoping that we will come to our senses and call on You. Thank You for Your faithfulness. You are an awesome God and we love You so much.
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