Sending good vibes and getting rid of tension right before it’s lights out.

You know when you’re trying to fall asleep and you start thinking about the Bible and that one word that is mentioned a lot? Or how Daniel and his friends stick to their guns and never compromise their faith and this totally works out for them? Or that time in 1 Kings it seemed like out of nowhere that prophet, Elijah, rode into town and started making trouble for Jezebel and Ahab (J-Hab😅)? When Elijah stops them in their tracks, J-Hab began gunning for him from then on, but he still just walks right into Ahab’s backyard (so cool) to tell him that the Lord’s going to kill him and feed his blood to dogs unless he straightens up. Or that message about fight the good fight and lay hold on eternal life, and how there are two action verbs?

Share this with a friend who wants to fall asleep with good things on their mind.

Welcome to Bible Thoughts.

When you’re reading the Bible, or thinking about the scriptures, have you ever started zooming in on a particular word or phrase? That zoomed-in part can sometimes turn on a light bulb in your brain. Elder described that as “squeezing the scriptures”.

Have you ever been intimated by how many times you see the word “mighty” in the Bible? All these many mighty people, many noble, mighty men of old, and so on. Mighty people must be some special forces group way up there–something we can only strive for in the by and by.

“Give unto the Lord, O ye mighty, give unto the Lord glory and strength.” -Psalm 29

Psalm 29 is just one of many references. Who were these “mighty” people?

There’s One at 611 Oak Street, Ophrah

Or maybe he was sitting under an oak tree in the town of Ophrah in Judges 6:11. We knew it was something like that 😉.

A few years ago, the young people at Onslow were working on a production, and one of the skits we were practicing was about Gideon. We ended up cutting it before the final night (because we had too many skits), but Gideon’s story definitely stuck with us (maybe the ones who were involved are following here).

Here’s what stood out:

“And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and said unto him, The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.” -Judges 6

So after that verse, we’re expecting for this mighty, great man to answer God. Instead, here’s who walks out:

Gideon. He hears the greetings about man of valour and is like, who are you kidding? You’ve got the right address, but I’m just thrashing wheat here in the back yard trying to hide it from our enemies. My Dad’s got an idol in the back yard. My father’s house is the smallest house. We’re the smallest tribe. I’m the smallest guy.

Are you sure, God?

God: “Go Get ’em, Gideon”

Gideon’s story picks up in Judges 6 when Israel had just disobeyed God again. Shocking. This time the nation was being swallowed by 130,000 Midianites who had come in to take everything the Israelites were trying to harvest. Who do they ask to help? You figured it: God.

God calls Gideon for the job, but Gideon wants to make sure first that God knows he isn’t some rich, strong warrior. (God’s probably like, I know, I’m God—that’s where I come in, dude.) We’re not covering everything that happened, but just know Gideon said YES and stepped up for God to use him. He followed the Lord in a plan that made no sense to the natural man. He blew the trumpet and gathered Israel for battle.

Read it for yourself. And if you want the deep dive into it, come hear our ministry. They can expound in a way we can’t even come close. There are layers of truth and you will leave knowing the Word in a way you never did before, and a lot more than a thing or two.

Not the Usual War Room

God called Gideon to deliver Israel, so Gideon rallies Israel around him and leads them to battle against the Midianites. But God decides that he wants everyone to know that it was HE, and not some big army, who saved Israel, so he instructs Gideon to whittle away his army to just 300 men. With God’s help and ingenuity, Gideon’s picks his army, and they defeat the Midianites and bring peace to Israel once again (until next time).

Gideon was a man of incredible resource because God was calling him to do something that could only be done by the power and spirit of God. He didn’t want someone who would try to strategize and do things in their own strength, but to be a vessel that brought glory to God.

The “Mighty” Takeaway

What if when God sought a man to carry out a moment of mercy, He could not find a Gideon, a Moses, an Esther? What if He were to say of our house, “I searched for a man and found no one.” Thank God Elder LaFleur said YES, and we have a ministry still saying YES, and God is using them. But we, too, have to stay ready for Him to work through us in His strength, bringing Him glory. That makes us mighty 🙂

God is calling out to people whom He wants to use for His glory. How many times throughout the Bible and history have we seen God speaking and searching for somebody to carry out His plan and His mercy . . . He has a people, and we’re mighty!