A Burden Becomes A Calling - Gideon

“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

What do people like William Wilberforce, Martin Luther King Jr., and Desmond Tutu have in common? They were all burdened enough about some injustice to get up off their knees and do something about it.

Wilberforce took action against his nation’s abominable slave trade, King fought the lack of civil rights for African-Americans, and Tutu worked hard to relieve the suffering he witnessed in South Africa.

The Old Testament prophet and judge Gideon would have felt very much at home in their company.

In Gideon’s day, the people of Israel had drifted so far from God that he gave them over to the oppression of the Midianites, who mistreated and persecuted the helpless Hebrew population. As you might expect, that didn’t sit well with Gideon.

One day, Gideon had an encounter with one of God’s angels—really, with God himself—as he wondered aloud where all of God’s miraculous works had gone. God had acted powerfully in the past, but how and when would he free his people from their current oppressors?

Funny you should ask, Gideon!

God had a specific plan in mind for Gideon, but before he divulged it, he put within Gideon a burden for his oppressed people. At first, Gideon questioned his ability to take on such a huge task, but in the end, he brilliantly led his people to throw off the Midianites’ yoke of oppression.

That kind of thing often happens when someone’s burden becomes their calling.

When you begin praying for God to send someone to accomplish something significant for his Kingdom—say, introducing a neighbor or coworker to Jesus—be ready for him to call you to play a part yourself. God often puts those burdens within you so that you will feel moved to step out and speak up.