One of my favorite stories in the Bible is the story of Gideon. A story about a man who, along with his people, had been hiding from the enemy (The Midianites) when the angel of the Lord appeared to him with a message. God wanted him to gather an army to go up against the enemies of Israel. The angel greets him calling him “valiant warrior�. I’d say that’s enough to make one stand taller, but not Gideon. The Lord said: “Go in the strength you have...I'm sending you!� To which Gideon has excuses: “My family is the weakest�, “I am the youngest�. And I love the Lord’s response, “But (Gideon) I will be with you�! (Judges 6:16a)

Often, the Lord places us in situations where we must be brave, stand tall, and speak in His name. Whether it be to share His Love with someone else, or to speak up for what we believe in. God says: “Go!� and we say “But, Lord...�.

When the Lord finally convinced Gideon that he could do this, (after a few signs, of course) Gideon gathered his army, 32,000 troops strong! Gideon, seeing his strong army, probably felt like he might actually have a chance at winning, but the Lord said, you have too many! So, after going through a simple selection process, (“Anyone who is afraid may go home�) he was left with only 10,000 men.

 Sometimes, just when we think our friends are with us, we turn to lean on their strength and realize they’ve gone running scared! The Lord uses those moments for us to fully rely on Him and His strength. After a second selection process the Israelite army was left with even fewer men left standing, however, Gideon did see victory that day, with only 300 men by his side! All glory and honor were given to God. You see, God uses us when we least expect Him to, and He can work through our fear and feelings of inadequacy in way we never imagined Him to.

Fear loses its power when we actively trust God more than that we fear. Gideon admitted his struggle with fear, and he asked God to give him courage to step up and do what God was asking of him â€" To represent God’s people and go up against the enemy. God’s promise to Gideon is also for us today: “But I will be with youâ€�. Hold on to that promise, stand strong, and allow God to do great things through you today.

Suggested Prayer:

Dear Almighty God, you are all the strength I need to get me through the toughest moments of my day. You have given me the power to stand firm and be a “valiant warrior� in your holy army and fight any struggles the enemy might toss my way. I admit that at times my fear outweighs my courage, but today I hold fast to the promise that you will be with me! Thank you for lending me your loving arms to lean on and make me strong. In Jesus’ Mighty Name, Amen.

1. Judges 6:12.