Sometimes It just Hits Me

I spent a great deal of time studying the life of Gideon last week preparing for the first of two sermons on his life in our series through Judges. As I sit here on Monday, I am re-thinking through the message. The words I emphasized in God's response to the future, but presently questioning hero still echo in my mind.

Judges 6:11-14 (NLT) 11 Then the angel of the LORD came and sat beneath the oak tree at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash of the clan of Abiezer. Gideon son of Joash had been threshing wheat at the bottom of a winepress to hide the grain from the Midianites. 12 The angel of the LORD appeared to him and said, "Mighty hero, the LORD is with you!" 13 "Sir," Gideon replied, "if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? And where are all the miracles our ancestors told us about? Didn't they say, `The LORD brought us up out of Egypt'? But now the LORD has abandoned us and handed us over to the Midianites." 14 Then the LORD turned to him and said, "Go with the strength you have and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you!"

Go with the strength you have. If there ever was a need to link the Go's in the Bible together, it is now.

Genesis 12:1 (NASB) 1 Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father's house, To the land which I will show you;

Joshua 1:9 (NASB) 9 "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."

1 Samuel 16:1 (NLT) 1 Finally, the LORD said to Samuel, "You have mourned long enough for Saul. I have rejected him as king of Israel. Now fill your horn with olive oil and go to Bethlehem. Find a man named Jesse who lives there, for I have selected one of his sons to be my new king."

Matthew 8:13 (NASB) 13 And Jesus said to the centurion, "Go; it shall be done for you as you have believed." And the servant was healed that very moment.

Matthew 28:18-20 (NLT) 18 Jesus came and told his disciples, "I have been given complete authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

Luke 10:2-4 (NLT) 2 These were his instructions to them: "The harvest is so great, but the workers are so few. Pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest, and ask him to send out more workers for his fields. 3 Go now, and remember that I am sending you out as lambs among wolves. 4 Don't take along any money, or a traveler's bag, or even an extra pair of sandals. And don't stop to greet anyone on the road.

Luke 14:23 (NLT) 23 So his master said, `Go out into the country lanes and behind the hedges and urge anyone you find to come, so that the house will be full.

Acts 5:17-21 (NLT) 17 The high priest and his friends, who were Sadducees, reacted with violent jealousy. 18 They arrested the apostles and put them in the jail. 19 But an angel of the Lord came at night, opened the gates of the jail, and brought them out. Then he told them, 20 "Go to the Temple and give the people this message of life!" 21 So the apostles entered the Temple about daybreak and immediately began teaching. When the high priest and his officials arrived, they convened the high council, along with all the elders of Israel. Then they sent for the apostles to be brought for trial.

The statistics from a recent poll are mind numbing. Though it was not compltely scientific meaning its margin of error is greater than 5 %; it nonetheless has made a mark on my life. It suggests that of those people classified as senior adults, over 65% of them can identify as having a personal relationship with Christ. The next generation was almost half, the next over another half was cut. By the time we get to a generation of people born after 1984 and were at least 17 years of age, only 4% of them could identify themsleves with a genuine faith in Christ. (Thom Rainer's research).

Think about that. Was there more faith in Gideon's day than in our day? Those numbers have left me a little staggered and somewhat downcast. I find myself a little less brave and unsure at times, and yet we have God's charge to his deliverer, "Go in the strength you have." That is our sole responsibility to go in whatever strength we have. Why? Because He is with us, just like He was with Joshua in following Moses, just like he was with Samuel as he approached Bethlehem to annoint David as king. God is with us when we go in simple faith like the centurian did. God is with us when we go into the hedges and backroads. God is with us when we open our mouths.

Our God of motion! None of us knows what lies down each road, but we do know this...God wants us to Go.

Have a great week on the go!