What the Lord Sees
“The Lord sees people He loves who are broken and hurting. The Lord also sees those willing to heed His call, and those who are not.”
Judges 6:11-16 (NIV)
The angel of the Lord came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.”
“Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.”
The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?”
“Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I 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 all the Midianites, leaving none alive.”
Reflection
“You’re just the cutest…Oh wait.” My mother-in-law always catches herself when playing with my 7-month-old son, noting she has several grandchildren, all of whom are “the cutest.” I share her opinion, though. My son’s giggles, smiles, expressions — all the cutest. But sometimes I wish I knew the future. What will he look like when he graduates from high school? Will he be an athlete? A scholar? Will he have a clever sense of humor like his dad? Rather than focusing on enjoying my son now, it is so easy for me to drift off into what might be in the future.
In contrast, Creator God intimately knows each of us now, what we will be tomorrow, and what we will one day become. Our stories were written by God before we came to be. He sees our faults, failures, and strengths, even those yet to develop. He sees what we are and what we will be. The Lord also sees all of the happenings around us in ways we cannot, along with the ways we can fit into His plans. Because our human perspective is limited to our narrow part of the present, it can be hard for us to see God’s plans for our lives before they’ve unfolded, but that does not mean they are not there. The Bible is full of seemingly unqualified people who accomplished great things through God’s plans. They could not see it at the time God called them, but their unique strengths, assets, and positions put them in the right place to carry out God’s work.
The Lord sees people He loves who are broken and hurting. The Lord also sees those willing to heed His call and those who are not. In his own estimation, Gideon seemed ill-equipped to take on an army. Though he had his doubts, Gideon ultimately trusted what God saw in him and did as God asked. The result was great success for Gideon and the nation of Israel.
Our job is to seek the Lord and follow His plan with a willing heart. From there, we can dwell in the great beauty of our humanness, not knowing what the future holds, but finding the joy in each unknown moment as it unfolds in our walk with the Lord.
Action steps
Prayer
Lord, help me to have a heart for You and Your plans for me. Fill me with the fruits of Your Spirit to give me strength. Guide me on my path according to Your will and timing. Thank You for the abundant blessings of today, and help me trust in Your provision for tomorrow. Amen.
The angel of the Lord came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.”
“Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.”
The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?”
“Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I 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 all the Midianites, leaving none alive.”
Reflection
“You’re just the cutest…Oh wait.” My mother-in-law always catches herself when playing with my 7-month-old son, noting she has several grandchildren, all of whom are “the cutest.” I share her opinion, though. My son’s giggles, smiles, expressions — all the cutest. But sometimes I wish I knew the future. What will he look like when he graduates from high school? Will he be an athlete? A scholar? Will he have a clever sense of humor like his dad? Rather than focusing on enjoying my son now, it is so easy for me to drift off into what might be in the future.
In contrast, Creator God intimately knows each of us now, what we will be tomorrow, and what we will one day become. Our stories were written by God before we came to be. He sees our faults, failures, and strengths, even those yet to develop. He sees what we are and what we will be. The Lord also sees all of the happenings around us in ways we cannot, along with the ways we can fit into His plans. Because our human perspective is limited to our narrow part of the present, it can be hard for us to see God’s plans for our lives before they’ve unfolded, but that does not mean they are not there. The Bible is full of seemingly unqualified people who accomplished great things through God’s plans. They could not see it at the time God called them, but their unique strengths, assets, and positions put them in the right place to carry out God’s work.
The Lord sees people He loves who are broken and hurting. The Lord also sees those willing to heed His call and those who are not. In his own estimation, Gideon seemed ill-equipped to take on an army. Though he had his doubts, Gideon ultimately trusted what God saw in him and did as God asked. The result was great success for Gideon and the nation of Israel.
Our job is to seek the Lord and follow His plan with a willing heart. From there, we can dwell in the great beauty of our humanness, not knowing what the future holds, but finding the joy in each unknown moment as it unfolds in our walk with the Lord.
Action steps
- Today, pray for God to open your heart and mind to Him.
- This week, work to trust God — and His timing — with your life.
- Spend time reading the Old Testament to learn about others in the Bible who heard and responded to God’s call in their lives.
Prayer
Lord, help me to have a heart for You and Your plans for me. Fill me with the fruits of Your Spirit to give me strength. Guide me on my path according to Your will and timing. Thank You for the abundant blessings of today, and help me trust in Your provision for tomorrow. Amen.
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