Have Not I Sent Thee?

 “And the Lord looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee?  And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house.  And the Lord said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man.”-Judges 6:14-16

Two things you need to know “has the Lord sent you?”  Is he with you?”  The rest is just window dressing. 

In business, before you can get a loan the bank wants to see “the plan.”  They want to know the mission statement, operation, financial, market research, etc.  They want to have a detailed plan of action that will assure them that taking you on as a client will bring a return on their investment.  God doesn’t work that way.  When he called Gideon, Gideon had no scheme, no mission, only that he was waging war in the only way he knew how.  When God called him from the threshing floor to change the tide of wickedness in Israel.  Gideon only needed to know two things: “Has he been sent, and is God with him?  The rest comes later.  It is revealed through faith and obedience.  Gideon would seek further confirmation (I for one am glad he did, sure makes me feel better when I do).  Yet through the power of God, he would win the day against overwhelming odds.  God works opposite of man.  We want all the questions answered and the plan in place.  Then, if deemed appropriate we then choose to go.  Once the risk/reward has been adequately weighted.  God says “Go” I am with you.  I believe God Gideons heart knew more than his head.  God can use people whose hearts are willing even if the rest of them is weak.  Those who possess a kernel of faith, and zeal to follow God.  To me Gideon represents a standard of God's grace, which remains proof positive that he can use the least and the least of us, if we are willing.  We only need to know two things: “Have we been sent, and is God with us?”

Many times, in life we come upon occasions of decisions.  Take a new job, move to a new city, advance in a new ministry, continue in a current one, and the list goes on.  Our (or perhaps I should say my) default is to gather the information, weigh the outcomes, and choose the logical path.  However, God is calling us to go in faith.  To wait before him until we have the “orders from headquarters” and then Go.  Go, owning that God will be with us.  IF we are sent and he is with us, what more is there to discuss?