ODJ: trust and reality

October 1, 2014 

READ: Judges 6:11-16 

Gideon replied, “If the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us?” (v.13).

The young man looked at me in wide-eyed fear. He could climb no further. “What happens,” he cried, “if I fall off the rock?” “The problem isn’t falling; the problem is hitting the ground,” I said, smiling. He sent an accusing stare in my direction.

I continued. “You’re attached to a safety rope directly to me. You can’t fall, because I have a tight hold on you.” The student needed to overcome his fear by realising that I was telling him the truth and that his feelings were misleading.

An angel once greeted Gideon as a “mighty hero” and declared that God was with him (Judges 6:12). Gideon felt anything but mighty (he was hiding at the time), and his entire nation was under the oppression of the Midianites. Indeed, it looked as if God had deserted Israel (vv.11-13).

Sometimes God speaks to His people in ways that seem to make no sense—at least at first. He tells us that “overwhelming victory is ours though Christ” (Romans 8:37). Do you feel like a victor? Perhaps your current situation is far different than what God described in Matthew’s gospel: “My yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light” (Matthew 11:30). In times like these, it’s vital for us to trust in who God is, and to cling to the hope that His Word is true.

At times our feelings and circumstances might cause us to tremble and fear. That’s understandable. A beginner at rock climbing will probably feel insecure while perched on a wall of stone, but his instructor knows the newbie climber is safe. Why? Because he knows the reality of the situation and—much like God working in our challenges—that provision and protection are in place.

You can trust Him, for “the LORD is with you” (Judges 6:12). —Russell Fralick

365-day plan› John 20:24-21:14