Judges 6:14 - Faithful with the Impossible!

Judges 6:14 - Faithful with the Impossible!

Judges 6:14 (NLT) Then the Lord turned to him and said, "Go with 
the strength you have, and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am 
sending you!"  

Like others called to be prophets or judges, Gideon was 
reluctant to obey. He questioned God's presence and his own adequacy. [NLT 
SB]  

  Gideon was an unlikely candidate for God's "Hall of Fame" 
(Heb. 11:32). When God called him, he was hiding. When God spoke to 
him, he raised problems instead of trusting promises. One of his 
favorite words was if (vv. 13, 17, 36; Mark 9:22-23). When Gideon did 
start to obey God, he worked at night (v. 27) and had to have repeated 
reassurance that the Lord was with him. 
  But God saw the potential in Gideon and even called him a 
"mighty man of valor" (v. 12). God sees the potential in you and says to 
you as He did to Simon, "You are ... You shall be" (John 1:42). He 
knows your weaknesses and will accommodate Himself to your needs so 
that He might develop your faith. [Chapter by Chapter Bible 
Commentary by Warren Wiersbe] 

  "I will be with you," God told Gideon, and God promised to 
give him the strength he needed to overcome the opposition. In spite 
of this clear promise for strength, Gideon made excuses. Seeing 
only his limitations and weaknesses, he failed to see how God could 
work through him. 
  Like Gideon, we are called to serve God in specific ways. 
Although God promises us the tools and strength we need, we often make 
excuses. But reminding God of our limitations only implies that he does 
not know all about us or that he has made a mistake in evaluating 
our character. Don't spend time making excuses. Instead spend it 
doing what God wants. [Life Application SB] 

  In Gideon's mind, victory over the Midianites was an 
impossibility, and he was absolutely right! The Midianites, along with their 
allies, overwhelmed the feeble Hebrews. Yet the moment God told Gideon 
to fight them, victory was no longer an impossibility!  
  When Jesus commanded His small group of followers to make 
disciples of all nations, was that possible (Mt 28:19)? Certainly, if 
Jesus said it was! When Jesus told His disciples to love their 
enemies, was He being realistic? Of course, because He was the One who 
would achieve reconciliation through them (2Co 5:19-20).  
  Do you treat commands like these as implausible? Do you modify 
God's word to find an interpretation that seems reasonable to you? 
Don't discount what is possible with God (Php 4:13). When God gives an 
assignment, it is no longer an impossibility, but rather it is an absolute 
certainty. When God gives you a seemingly impossible task, the only thing 
preventing it from coming to pass is your disobedience. When God speaks, it 
can scare you to death! He will lead you to do things that are 
absolutely impossible in your own strength. But God will grant you victory, 
step by step, as you obey Him. How do you respond to assignments that 
seem impossible? Do you write them off as unattainable? Or do you 
immediately adjust your life to God's revelation, watching with anticipation 
to see how He will accomplish His purposes through your obedience? 
God wants to do the impossible through your life. All He requires is 
your obedience. [Experiencing God Day by Day by Henry and Richard 
Blackaby re Jdg. 6:14] 

"Putting out the fleece" (asking God to do some special thing to 
verify His will) is evidence of unbelief and not of faith. God stooped 
to Gideon's weakness and did what he asked, and He may do that for 
you; but this is not the level on which God wants to meet you. 
Immature faith needs signs for reassurance; mature faith takes God at His 
Word and obeys. [Chapter by Chapter Bible Commentary by Warren 
Wiersbe]