Many others have been there too. All through the Bible, story after story tells us of those who needed God’s reminders that He was near. With them. Close.
And He never failed, not once.
Gideon found himself feeling weak and afraid. In Judges 6, we find that he and his people were facing great suffering and defeat at the hand of the enemy. He doubted God was even with him. In fact, when an angel showed up, he was threshing his wheat in the pit of a winepress, not up on a hilltop where this was usually done. He was fearful and trying to keep hidden from view of the enemy who’d been raiding their land. The angel spoke straight through to his fear and weakness, “When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” Judges 6:12
Don’t you love that he called him “mighty warrior” right at the time he felt so discouraged and afraid?
But God sees “mighty” when we see “weak.” He sees victory when we see defeat. He gives hope, when we’re filled with disappointment.
Gideon questioned, “If God was with us, then why did this happen?”
Sounds familiar…ever been there?
“If God is really here, then why?”
“If God is really good, then when?”
“If God really cares, then how?”
And even with the questions, after His people had turned their backs on Him, God is still gracious, patient, loving, and kind. He sends his messenger to encourage, to remind Gideon and all of the Israelites, that He was surely with them.
Yet while staring straight at an angel, Gideon continued to persist with defeated thoughts, “But I am the weakest, I am the least…how can God save Israel?”
“And the Lord answered, ‘I will be with you…” Judges 6:16
Five powerful words. That can see us through anything we face in this life.
“I will be with you.”
God’s presence is real. He gives us strength for every day. The battle can be intense. And some days especially, the enemy seems really strong, and we feel really weary. We can find ourselves wrestling again with the same defeated thoughts that we thought we’d finally laid to rest just the night before. Disappointments come. We struggle with feeling like we haven’t measured up, we listen to the lies that we are “less than…”
But God still answers us. Just like He did for Gideon.
He’s still with us, no matter how we might feel, or what struggles flood our thoughts. He is filling us with the power and grace of His Spirit, just enough for the day.
For this day.
A reminder for your heart, in whatever you might be facing, “The Lord is with you…mighty warrior.”
Peace.
When you are constantly facing long standing problems that don’t change, improve or get any better, saying the prayer shown below has been know to help God’s right kind of help show up! If you would like to invite God’s right kind of help to show up, let’s pray:
Heavenly Father, we come before You with hearts heavy with burdens that seem to have no end. We acknowledge Your sovereignty over all things, including the challenges that persist in our lives despite our efforts to overcome them. We humbly seek Your intervention in these long-standing issues that have defied our best attempts at resolution.
The Problems:
Lord, these enduring problems weigh heavily upon us. They have caused us pain, frustration, and despair. They have strained relationships, hindered progress, and stifled joy. Despite our prayers, efforts, and tears, they remain unchanged, unmoved, and unyielding. We confess our limitations and surrender these burdens to You, knowing that You alone have the power to bring about lasting change.
The Prayer:
Heavenly Father, we come before You in humility and desperation, acknowledging our dependence on Your wisdom and grace. We ask for Your divine insight to understand the reasons behind these persistent challenges. Show us if there are lessons to be learned, perspectives to be shifted, or actions to be taken. Grant us the strength to persevere in faith as we await Your perfect timing and Your perfect solutions.
We pray for Your guidance, Lord, knowing that Your ways are higher than our ways and Your thoughts are higher than our thoughts. Help us to trust in Your goodness and Your faithfulness, even when we cannot see the way forward. We ask for Your supernatural intervention to break through the barriers that have kept these problems entrenched for so long.
Lord, we believe in Your power to transform the impossible into the possible. We ask for miracles, not because we deserve them, but because of Your great love and mercy toward us. Strengthen our faith, Lord, and help us to wait patiently for Your deliverance.
In Jesus’ name, we pray, Amen.
You Are Not Facing YOUR Battles Alone: God is with YOU!
And the Lord answered, ‘I will be with you…” Judges 6:16
Some days can seem hurried, pressured, and tense. We know God’s truth, we believe His goodness, and yet we still find ourselves struggling, minds racing, before our feet even touch the floor in the morning.
Our focus gets blurred. We start listening to the lies of other voices that do more harm than good. The constant media headlines tell us how dark and broken our world is. Images and reminders all around us shout that we’re “not enough.” The enemy is great at heaping on guilt, condemnation, and fear. The problems we face seem more like giants of impossibility than anything good that God can ever bring from them.
But often, out of His goodness and grace, when we find ourselves right smack in the middle of huge feelings of defeat, God shows up strong.
Many others have been there too. All through the Bible, story after story tells us of those who needed God’s reminders that He was near. With them. Close.
And He never failed, not once.
Gideon found himself feeling weak and afraid. In Judges 6, we find that he and his people were facing great suffering and defeat at the hand of the enemy. He doubted God was even with him. In fact, when an angel showed up, he was threshing his wheat in the pit of a winepress, not up on a hilltop where this was usually done. He was fearful and trying to keep hidden from view of the enemy who’d been raiding their land. The angel spoke straight through to his fear and weakness, “When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” Judges 6:12
Don’t you love that he called him “mighty warrior” right at the time he felt so discouraged and afraid?
But God sees “mighty” when we see “weak.” He sees victory when we see defeat. He gives hope, when we’re filled with disappointment.
Gideon questioned, “If God was with us, then why did this happen?”
Sounds familiar…ever been there?
“If God is really here, then why?”
“If God is really good, then when?”
“If God really cares, then how?”
And even with the questions, after His people had turned their backs on Him, God is still gracious, patient, loving, and kind. He sends his messenger to encourage, to remind Gideon and all of the Israelites, that He was surely with them.
Yet while staring straight at an angel, Gideon continued to persist with defeated thoughts, “But I am the weakest, I am the least…how can God save Israel?”
“And the Lord answered, ‘I will be with you…” Judges 6:16
Five powerful words. That can see us through anything we face in this life.
“I will be with you.”
God’s presence is real. He gives us strength for every day. The battle can be intense. And some days especially, the enemy seems really strong, and we feel really weary. We can find ourselves wrestling again with the same defeated thoughts that we thought we’d finally laid to rest just the night before. Disappointments come. We struggle with feeling like we haven’t measured up, we listen to the lies that we are “less than…”
But God still answers us. Just like He did for Gideon.
He’s still with us, no matter how we might feel, or what struggles flood our thoughts. He is filling us with the power and grace of His Spirit, just enough for the day.
For this day.
A reminder for your heart, in whatever you might be facing, “The Lord is with you…mighty warrior.”
Peace.
When you are constantly facing long standing problems that don’t change, improve or get any better, saying the prayer shown below has been know to help God’s right kind of help show up! If you would like to invite God’s right kind of help to show up, let’s pray:
Heavenly Father, we come before You with hearts heavy with burdens that seem to have no end. We acknowledge Your sovereignty over all things, including the challenges that persist in our lives despite our efforts to overcome them. We humbly seek Your intervention in these long-standing issues that have defied our best attempts at resolution.
The Problems:
Lord, these enduring problems weigh heavily upon us. They have caused us pain, frustration, and despair. They have strained relationships, hindered progress, and stifled joy. Despite our prayers, efforts, and tears, they remain unchanged, unmoved, and unyielding. We confess our limitations and surrender these burdens to You, knowing that You alone have the power to bring about lasting change.
The Prayer:
Heavenly Father, we come before You in humility and desperation, acknowledging our dependence on Your wisdom and grace. We ask for Your divine insight to understand the reasons behind these persistent challenges. Show us if there are lessons to be learned, perspectives to be shifted, or actions to be taken. Grant us the strength to persevere in faith as we await Your perfect timing and Your perfect solutions.
We pray for Your guidance, Lord, knowing that Your ways are higher than our ways and Your thoughts are higher than our thoughts. Help us to trust in Your goodness and Your faithfulness, even when we cannot see the way forward. We ask for Your supernatural intervention to break through the barriers that have kept these problems entrenched for so long.
Lord, we believe in Your power to transform the impossible into the possible. We ask for miracles, not because we deserve them, but because of Your great love and mercy toward us. Strengthen our faith, Lord, and help us to wait patiently for Your deliverance.
In Jesus’ name, we pray, Amen.