The angel of the Lord came, and he sat under the oak that was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash, the Abiezrite. His son Gideon was threshing wheat in the winepress in order to hide it from the Midianites. Then the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, “The Lord is with you, valiant warrior.”
Gideon said to him, “Please, my lord, if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened? And where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about? They said, ‘Hasn’t the Lord brought us out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to Midian.”
The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and deliver Israel from the grasp of Midian. I am sending you!”
He said to him, “Please, Lord, how can I deliver Israel? Look, my family is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father’s family.”
“But I will be with you,” the Lord said to him. “You will strike Midian down as if it were one man.”
Judges 6:11-16
Don’t you just love how God’s answer to Gideon’s doubts and insecurity is His presence?
God doesn’t refute Gideon’s claims that he is too weak, too young, too poor, essentially, too much of a nobody to be called by God and do brave things for Him. God knows exactly who Gideon is and exactly what his background, struggles, and qualifications (or lack thereof) are. But still, God calls him a “valiant warrior.” Why? Because of what comes before that: “The Lord is with you.”
God’s presence is mightier than any disadvantage or setback.
Whenever we face something that’s too much for us, God answers, “But I will be with you.”
And those six words change everything.
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Just what I needed this morning praise God he is with us!
Needed to hear this today as I contemplate a move I know I don’t have the physical strength for.
In Courage,
Just like the Israelites we often we think we aren’t qualified to be used by God. Look at the ten (10) spies. Only two said it was feasible. Think about Goliath. Everyone was afraid of Him except David. The two spies & David both knew that God plus one is a majority. We need that same kind of mindset. Remembering God will be with us. If He calls us to it He will qualify us for it. God doesn’t call the qualified. He qualifies the called.
Blessings 🙂
Excellent!
Thank you for these words & your highlighting of them.
Yes! Those 6 words! Thank you for this encouragement!
Thank you for this reminder of God’s presence! I don’t have to struggle on my own when I am facing hard situations.
Thank you so much for this valuable reminder. Too often we forget that the Lord is in us, which means He is ALWAYS with us, giving us guidance, strength, and wisdom.
I am not much of a jewelry person and I don’t wear rings (besides my wedding ring years ago), but when I received a silver ring engraved with the words “you never walk alone”, this is my daily reassurance of Gods presence by my side. Ever since I wear this ring I feel the Lords presence more than ever. Also, my word of the year is “Presence”, and that has changed my life in many areas this year.
I am so grateful for the Lord being with me / us every step of the way.
Blessings to you all and thank you for all the encouragements here.
Vera (Edmonton / Canada)
I needed this. This very day. I am a tired warrior but He has already won the battle for His glory….
Good to read these 6 words again. I remember reading Goliath story in the Bible. Some of it was in part of Bible study I was in last year. We always need God’s guidance in life.