“And he said to him please Lord how could I save Israel? Behold my clan is the weakest in Menassa and I am the least in my father’s house.”
– Judges 6:15
Judges 6:15 are Gideon’s words before God, as God was calling him to deliver his people. As God was calling him clearly to a task that Gideon did not feel he was qualified for. Did not feel he was able or competent to carry out, how can I do this? How can I save Israel? Behold my clan is the weakest and I am the least in my house. Here’s the reasons, we see this can’t help to think about others in Scripture.
God Uses Unlikely People to Carry Out His Will
You think about Moses when God called him and Moses said who am I. I can’t even speak, you’re telling me to go to Pharaoh the most powerful ruler in the world, and tell him to just let all of his slaves go? I can’t do that. Think about David a shepherd boy. Unlikely to be used by God to deliver his people, and lead his people. Become his people’s most famous king in the Old Testament.
God calls each of us to do that which can only be accomplished in His power at work in us.
You could go on and on and on through Scripture, unlikely people that God calls to do things that are totally beyond them. It reminds me of one of my favorite quotes about David Brainard. He was a missionary to Native Americans up in the Northeastern part of the United States many, many years ago. His biography, life, and journal are incredible I would highly recommend anybody read that and just dive into David Brainard. In so many different ways he is helpful and instructive for us, but anyway Brainard.
God Uses Us to Accomplish Great Things
One of my favorite quotes is actually from someone commenting on his life and what they were compelled to pray after reading Brainard’s life. And the prayer was God let me make a difference for you that is utterly disproportionate to who I am. I remember hearing that prayer and thinking I wanna pray that. I want the hand of God to use me to do that which is utterly disproportionate to who I am.
Judges 6:15: Answering God’s Call
This is I think the design of God for everyone in our lives. God has put us all in situations he calls us all to things that we cannot do on our own. You may feel overwhelmed today, I kind of hope you do feel overwhelmed today by what God has called you to do as a follower of Jesus. As a single, a husband, a wife, a mom, or a dad. In your job, in your profession, when it comes to the church what God is calling you to do for the building up of his people.
And when it comes to sharing the Gospel, what God is calling you to do is a witness in the world. In all of these ways, you would look at your abilities and you’d think I can’t do it. Not on my own, I look at my life in all of these different ways. As a husband, as a dad, as a pastor, as a witness for Jesus in the world. To be a Holy Follower of Jesus, like I just look at all that and think I can’t do that.
You Are Not Alone
The beauty is God does not call us to do that which we can do on our own. God calls everyone single one of us to do that which can only be accomplished in his power. At work in us. So as soon as you have a Gideon-like moment be encouraged that you are not alone and that God has indeed called you to that which can’t do on your own.
Judges 6:15: Asking God to Help Us Live the Life He Calls Us to Live
So we pray God help us, God help us today to live out the life you have called us to. Help us to live in that sense on a supernatural plane. We want to do, be, that which is far beyond what we could ever do or be on our own. We want your power at work in us, your spirit leading us, guiding us, making us the single, brother, sister. The husband or wife you called us to be, the mom or dad that you’ve called us to be. We need your help in that, in our work. We need your help to be the people with the gifts that you’ve called us to be. In our neighborhoods, in the world we wanna be the witnesses you’ve called us to be.
We wanna follow Jesus in all the ways we see in your words so help us, we can’t do any of those things on our own. In a John 15:5 kind of way, we believe it. Apart from you, we can do nothing, but we know that when we remain in you, you remain in us. That there will be fruit in our lives that is utterly disproportionate to who we are. So God may it be so. How can we do what you’ve called us to do? We confess today we can’t, but we trust your power at work in us. Your promises in our lives, and so we ask you to do even today in and through us that which is utter disproportionate to who we are. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
