When Workarounds Don't Work

                                        

One of my all-time favorite stories in the Bible is the story of Gideon. Why? Mainly because I readily identify with him. Upon introduction to Gideon in Chapter 6 of Judges, initially, he seems to be the guy who sees the glass half empty rather than half full. Though he became a mighty warrior and the fifth judge of Israel, these accomplishments did not happen overnight. In this chapter, we find Gideon living in his hometown of Ophrah, a city located within the land assigned to the Israelite tribe of Manasseh. Seemingly, there was nothing extra special about him. He would not have been listed in "The Top 100 under 30 Club." He was just an ordinary citizen living in a time of extreme persecution and oppression of his people. In fact, the Bible says his clan was the least of all the tribes, and Gideon was the youngest.

In this story, the Midianites, a neighboring enemy out to destroy the Israelites, repeatedly conducted raids upon Ophrah, wiping out their livestock and crops and leaving them without means to meet their basic needs. Since Gideon grew up in such conditions, he appeared to have settled in and looked for workarounds or ways to get by. This is seen in the fact that Gideon threshed what little wheat he could find in his house behind a winepress to hide out from the Midianites rather than out in the open on the threshing floor that was a part of the households of the day. 

There, he had an unexpected encounter with the Angel of the Lord. Often, this is a reference to Jesus. In this meeting, Gideon is awakened from his mere "get by, don't rock the boat" state of mind and called to do something He is uncertain He has the skill and the strength to do. The Lord called him to rise from his impoverished, nonconfrontational existence and lead an army to destroy the Midianites. Gideon knew the enemy's power, and in his humanity, he did what any of us would do when fear sets in. He questioned God and gave an excuse as to why he could not commit to the call.

"But Lord," Gideon asked, "How can you save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family." The Lord answered, "I will be with you, and you will strike down the Midianites as if they were but one man."

Judges 4:15

One man? There was undoubtedly more than one! He had missed the powerful words "as if." God certainly knew the numbers of the enemy, but with His power, defeat was insight as if there was only a single enemy. Although Gideon had heard the stories of how God had delivered his ancestors from slavery in Egypt, how He had performed the miracle of the parting of the Red Sea and later divided the waters of the Jordan to lead his people to the promised land, that's all they were to him, stories. The signs and the miraculous acts of God had not been his personal experience. And now this? How was it even remotely possible?

In just one short conversation, God removed the validity of Gideon's excuse. Gideon is faced with a choice to obey God or stay in His current state of oppression, hiding out and living in constant fear. Through more conversations, allowing Gideon's questions, a lot of patience on the Lord's part, and some testing of his faith in God, Gideon is led to become all that God intended for him. Just as He was, Gideon, young, frightened, and weak, conquers the Midianites as God said he would. Gideon obeyed with small confidence, trusting God would supply all he needed to make up for his deficiencies. God kept his word and did precisely that in Gideon's life.

We can glean truths from Gideon's experience of feeling doubtful, without confidence and oppressed by things that threaten our lives. Maybe there's not an evil army on our doorstep, but opposition that overpowers us. With this, sometimes, we have compromised for so long that we do not even realize how oppressed we have become in some regions of our lives. We become the master of workarounds when our relationships, health, finances, or other life realities stand ready to attack us. Like Gideon, hiding out just to thresh wheat for his daily needs, instead of tapping into the promise of God to be our help, we settle for finding ways to adapt and accept the things that repeatedly raid our lives and hold us captive. We tackle our "threshing of wheat" experiences mentally and/or physically, dodging such situations instead of yielding to the true promises of God to lead us, go before us, and win the battles we face and the struggles we endure. For whom does the Lord desire this victory? For us and through us, dear friend!

God sees our potential even when we do not recognize it. Paul was nothing short of a killer and a false teacher who blatantly rebelled against the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Moses was a fugitive on the run and hiding out for a murder he committed. Thomas was a follower of Jesus, with skepticism and doubt about who Jesus really was. Gideon was an unknown, a young man with no defined strengths and a lack of confidence. Still, God called each of these men not because of their faith or ability but because of their lack of both.

Give up the workarounds! Trust the One who can work miracles right in the middle of your mess!

A person who lacks faith, confidence, or clear direction in God's eyes is a mighty warrior in the making!

"The Lord your God who goes before you will Himself fight on your behalf."

Deuteronomy 1:30