“The angel of the Lord appeared to [GIdeon] and said, ‘The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor…’ And the Lord turned to him and said, ‘Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; do not I send you?’ And he said, ‘Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.’ And the Lord said to him, ‘But I will be with you…’ ‘Please do not depart until I come to you and bring out my present and set it before you.’
“So Gideon went into his house and prepared a young goat and unleavened cakes… The meat he put in a basket, and the broth in a pot,.. and presented them. The angel of God said to him, ‘Take the meat and the unleavened cakes, and put them on this rock, and pour the broth over them.’ And he did so. Then the angel of the Lord reached out the tip of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened cakes. And fire sprang up from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened cakes. And the angel of the Lord vanished from his sight. Then Gideon perceived that he was the angel of the Lord. And Gideon said, ‘Alas, O Lord God! For now I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face.’ But the Lord said to him, ‘Peace be to you. Do not fear; you shall not die.’ Then Gideon built an altar there to the Lord and called it, The Lord Is Peace…
“That same night the Lord said to him, ‘Arise, go down against the camp, for I have given it into your hand. But if you are afraid to go down, go down to the camp with Purah your servant. And you shall hear what they say, and afterward your hands shall be strengthened to go down against the camp…’
“As soon as Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, he worshiped. And he returned to the camp of Israel and said, ‘Arise, for the Lord has given the host of Midian into your hand.’” Judges 6:12,14-16a,18-24a; 7:9-11a,15
Gideon was surprised from God’s first call that he would be used to help Israel. Humble, obscure, who was he to take up such a role? His heart for God was revealed and trust in Him grew every step. He was a man who acknowledged he was not god, and worshiped the One he knew to be true. From command to promise to timely affirmation, he worshiped.
But as soon as he let pride smother his reverence for God, and failed to worship, he was snared. What a cogent invitation and warning for us. (Judges 8:22-27)
Where is the Lord asking us to step up and out for Him? Do we pause to praise Him as He meets us along the way, acknowledging and exalting Him for specific revelations and provisions? How is regular worship regularly realigning our allegiance and dependence? What blessings have resulted when we decreased and He increased? (John 3:30)
Are there situations and seasons where we start out timid, yet grow through increasing trust in God’s sufficiency, only to fall by beginning to trust ourselves instead? To what temptations to self-applause or stubborn independence do we too easily succumb? How will we guard against them?
Lord, at every stone on the path You lay before me, may I step, pause, and worship you.
As the rain and snow 