Treasures on the Trail

Gideon had gathered an army – 32,000 strong – to fight the Midianites, just as God had asked him to. But…

“The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many warriors with you. If I let all of you fight the Midianites, the Israelites will boast to me that they saved themselves by their own strength.” (Judges 7:2, NLT)

God is about to take Gideon on a personal adventure of miraculous intervention. (Remember earlier he asked God where all the miracles of his ancestors were). But Gideon needed to go on a bit of a journey before he would be ready and poised for it. Through a series of tests Gideon is left with 300 men to fight a hoard of merciless warriors. Against all logic and military strategy Gideon takes a huge step of obedience, trusting God completely. Not without fear but he obeyed, nonetheless.

God does not rebuke Gideon for quaking in his boots but gives him several treasures on his trail. From God’s first encounter with Gideon until the defeat of the Midianites, God keeps giving Gideon the boosts to his courage that he so desperately needs.

First:

“Gideon replied, “If you are truly going to help me, show me a sign to prove that it is really the Lord speaking to me. Don’t go away until I come back and bring my offering to you.” He answered, “I will stay here until you return.”” (Judges 6:17–18, NLT)

Second:

“Then Gideon said to God, “If you are truly going to use me to rescue Israel as you promised, prove it to me in this way. I will put a wool fleece on the threshing floor tonight. If the fleece is wet with dew in the morning but the ground is dry, then I will know that you are going to help me rescue Israel as you promised.” And that is just what happened. When Gideon got up early the next morning, he squeezed the fleece and wrung out a whole bowlful of water. Then Gideon said to God, “Please don’t be angry with me, but let me make one more request. Let me use the fleece for one more test. This time let the fleece remain dry while the ground around it is wet with dew.” So that night God did as Gideon asked. The fleece was dry in the morning, but the ground was covered with dew.” (Judges 6:36–40, NLT)

Third:

“That night the Lord said, “Get up! Go down into the Midianite camp, for I have given you victory over them! But if you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah. Listen to what the Midianites are saying, and you will be greatly encouraged. Then you will be eager to attack.” So Gideon took Purah and went down to the edge of the enemy camp.” (Judges 7:9–11, NLT) [Emphasis mine]

Gideon and Purah overhear warrior #1 telling warrior #2 about a dream he had had. Warrior #2 says that the dream can only mean one thing, God will give Gideon the victory. That’s all they needed to hear. Gideon was ready for battle.

My ‘take home’ in this story is that often God gives us treasures on the trail of our lives. Sometimes we are up against a wall with nowhere to turn. Sometimes we feel totally alone and abandoned by God and everyone else. It’s easy at those times to feel sorry for ourselves and question whether God even cares. At this point we have a decision to make. We can choose to engage God in our conversation and be honest with him, or we can reject him, hold on to our offense, and give him the silent treatment.

Notice what Gideon chose. He walked in regular communication with God. He was afraid. He also felt that God had abandoned the people of Israel and he told God so. He was up against a wall…well hiding in a winepress. Even as God began stripping away his precious resources he kept talking with God. His eyes were open to what God was doing and his ears were perked up listening for what God was saying to him. But he had to climb out of the winepress to find these treasures.

Here are some of the treasures on the trail for me in the last month or so:

*Someone dropped an envelope of cash into our mailbox at church which allowed Tom to take me on a much-needed date and the best Greek food I have had since we visited Greece

*My kids and grandsons came home for my birthday/family day weekend

*We were taken to an amazing orchestra/choir concert in Calgary (such a boon to my soul)

*Once again, our mortgage is paid for the next month (also because ‘angels’ dropped envelopes of cash into our mailbox at our church)

*Snowshoeing in the mountains with friends

*My parents (in-law) live nearby and I can call anytime, and mom will feed us

*A beautiful friend from many years ago has resurfaced in my life

*I got to watch two of my grandsons play basketball (it’s a treasure because they live a fair distance away and I can’t just ‘pop over’ there whenever I want)

*We have a beautiful church family who has enveloped us with love and given us a soft place to land

I could go on. The point is, if I wasn’t looking for treasures, I may just take them for granted. If I wasn’t listening for the Lord’s voice, I may miss his cues as to where to turn. Life isn’t necessarily exactly as I would have chosen to map it out. My resources have been stripped away, much like Gideon’s were. This way there is no way I can boast that I’ve done this on my own. The only explanation for any measure of success is that God is in it. God has directed my steps. God has provided all I need for each step and each turn. God just keeps amazing me with the sweet treasures he is dropping along the trail, each time I am greatly encouraged and eager to keep going.

What treasures is God dropping along the trail of your life these days?