Go in the Strength You Have

Gideon was hiding from the marauding Midianites, threshing grain in the bottom of a wine press to hide the grain from them.

“The angel of the Lord appeared to him [Gideon] and said, “Mighty hero, the Lord is with you!”” (Judges 6:12, NLT)

Hiding from the enemy doesn’t sound very mighty nor does it seem heroic. But reading through Chapter 6 & 7 one soon sees that Gideon grows into his name one obedient step at a time – one tentative frightened obedient step at a time.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Gideon sounds a little sarcastic in his response to the Angel.

““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.””     (Judges 6:13, NLT)

It did not seem as though the LORD was with the Israelites. Gideon had some serious questions about that. He was not a little disillusioned. And if this is what it looks like when the LORD is with us, I’m not sure I want any part of it. (okay I adlibbed a little, but do you hear his tone?)

Listen to the LORD’s reply. He doesn’t engage Gideon in a debate. He just keeps going.

“Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go with the strength you have, and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you!”” (Judges 6:14, NLT)

He said, “Go in the strength you have.” Not his neighbour’s strength, not his daddy’s strength, not even God’s strength but in the miniscule strength Gideon possessed. Clearly, he had a little bit of strength left in him or he would not have challenged the Angel of the LORD the way he did. There’s a mighty warrior hiding in there somewhere!

As I sat in these verses for a few days it seemed the Lord was speaking to my heart in a similar fashion only he said something more like this: Your strength will be in meekness.

I am a strong woman and sometimes come across as overbearing and bossy. I see things others do not see, not because I am special but because that is part of my gifting. My strong personality pushes me forward to speak out that which I see. And sometimes if the hearer of my words does not receive them, I merely say them again, a little louder each time, thinking that it’s my job to get them to agree with the message I have been given. I’m on a journey of learning to simply speak what God lays on my heart and leave the outcome to him. And to do it with gentleness. Only Holy Spirit could create in me a measure of meekness as I live out who God has wired me to be.

As I wrote those words in my journal, I heard Jesus whisper, “Go in the meekness you have.” So, I decided to look up the meaning of meekness.

From milespikemusic.com

Meek: sometimes called gentle

Greek – to have great power to do harm but choosing to suffer insult upon yourself rather than using your power to cause injury.

In Titus 3 Paul tells Titus to “remind the church to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be uncontentious, to be gentle, and to show every consideration for all men.”

So, Connie, go in the meekness you have. Baby steps. I will grow into this only as I surrender to the power of Holy Spirit.

About 2 hours after I had journaled the above lesson the first test came along. Someone said something to me that a few months ago would have prompted a quick defensive retort. It was a lie from the enemy wrapped up with a “we are praying for you” as a sort of buffer to make their words more palatable (I have no doubt in my mind that they truly believed they were speaking truth that would be an encouragement to me). My knee-jerk reaction was to set them straight in their thinking. And I would not have been wrong to dismantle the lie. However, the miraculous work of Holy Spirit flooded me in the moment. Rather than respond with my first thoughts, I was able to calmly point them to the actions of Jesus and show how I was trying to pattern my life after him. I think we are still friends😊. At the very least I have no apologizing to do for the manner in which I spoke, which is sort of new for me. Not allowing the lie to land while at the same time gently turning our eyes toward Jesus.

What are you wired to do? What purpose has God fashioned you for? Is there a name God is calling you to grow into?

My middle name is Lucille. I used to hate that name for some reason. It wasn’t all that long ago that Jesus set me free from some serious bondage and the Father returned to me the “essence of my femininity” (a story for another day perhaps). Along with that He blessed my name. Lucille means, “Light Bringer”. What a beautiful picture. However, people don’t appreciate being knocked on the head with a flashlight. We all hate it when someone shines the flashlight in our eyes. That is worse than useless! That’s where the meekness piece comes in. If I want to live in the identity Jesus has given me and walk in the gifting Holy Spirit has poured into me, then I must turn on the light and aim it on the path ahead, not in the eyes of the one I am walking with.

I am on a journey, one tiny step at a time – one tentative, faltering, obedient step at a time. I am going in the meekness I have.

Go in the faith you have. Go in the knowledge you have. Go in the _____ you have. And remember The LORD is with you.