Go In The Strength You Have

Judges 6:14 The LORD turned to him (Gideon) and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?”

It’s ironic that this verse should be in today’s assigned reading from Life Journal in light of my blog post yesterday.  Perhaps I need another refresher course in relying on God’s power.

In Judges 6 and 7 is the story of Gideon and his army’s defeat of Midian.  The Midianites were, at this time, regularly raiding Israel’s fields.  The angel of the LORD visits Gideon as he threshes wheat inside of a wine press, hoping to keep it hidden from the Midianites.    The angel of the LORD greets him saying, “The LORD is with you, mighty warrior”, yet Gideon appears whiny and weak.  Gideon whines to the angel, “But sir, if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us?  Where are all his wonders that our fathers told us about when they said, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the LORD has abandoned us and put us into the hand of Midian.” Judges 6:13

That’s when verse 14 happens.  “The LORD turned to him and said, “Go in the strength that you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?”

Gideon gives God all kinds of excuses about why he can’t and how he is so weak…. God doesn’t buy into any of them.

“Go in the strength you have and save Israel…” I don’t have to have superhuman strength, I just need to step out in faith and watch God’s power and strength win the battle.  I have this picture in my mind of a man standing and facing this huge enemy horde. He takes one step forward and all the power of God that’s been mustering behind him comes rushing forward to utterly destroy everything in front of him. I’m no theologian, but this is the picture in my head.

“Go in the strength that you have.”  Sometimes it takes all the strength that I have to take one step.  Praise God!  He’s got it from there.