God Knows Your Potential
The first time the Bible speaks of Gideon is in Judges 6:11. Gideon is hiding in a winepress beating out wheat so the Midianite oppressors will not find it. An angel of the Lord appears and calls him a “Mighty man of valor”. The Lord then tells Gideon to “Go in this might of yours and save Israel from Midian”. Gideon appears to be oblivious to any might that he had within himself. His work was being done in hiding! He declared he was of the weakest clan of Israel and weakest of his own house. When he is finally convinced to follow God’s direction, he does so at night due to fear.
God knows the potential of man.
Timid Gideon proceeded to break down the altar of Baal and cut down the Asherah (sacred pole). He stood against fear and anger of his own people. He went to battle against the Amalekites and the Midianites though outnumbered. He conquered by the hand of God.
Many people go through life without seeing what they could be. James 2 speaks of the vision of man. We are not to look with partiality upon one man or another based upon their appearance. God knows the great price of the heart hidden in man (1 Peter 3:4). God called upon Moses who was fearful. He strengthened Samson who made one bad decision after another. He chose a shepherd boy to be a king! He called Peter though He knew he would reject Christ at one point. He chose Paul who fought against the Gospel to see Christians to their death. God, through His Son, made new creatures of those once lost in the hopelessness of sin. God sees beyond the eyes of carnal man.
Why does God choose the poor of the world as heirs to His Kingdom (James 2:5)? Why does God choose the weak and not the mighty? Why did he choose lowly Gideon? Consider the words Jesus shared with Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:9, “My grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength is made perfect in weakness”. God’s might demonstrates itself by taking what the world thinks of as weak or undesirable and then transforms it into victory. Christ came as a lowly Nazarene of Galilee and became the Savior of the World. Certainly, God could show his might through timid Gideon and make him a mighty man of valor.
Imagine what God can do with you! You have great potential in the hands of our almighty God.