Ask For Help

Ask for Help

If you are truly going to use me to rescue Israel as you promised, prove it to me. Judges 6:36-37

WHEN GOD SAYS SOMETHING, it’s true. There’s no need to question it. But Gideon wanted to be sure. Maybe he thought the encounter with the angel of God’s presence had been an illusion, or maybe he had a flawed view of God and wondered if God might pull the rug out from under him. More likely, he was so uncertain of his worthiness that he disqualified himself from the possibility of victory. After all, armies were gathering. Perhaps it hadn’t occurred to him that it’s impossible to be victorious if you don’t have a battle to begin with. He needed confirmation that things were still headed in the right direction.

Many of us wouldn’t have the nerve to question God’s integrity by asking, “If you’re going to do what you said . . .” Nevertheless, Gideon asked—twice—and God patiently answered both times. Of course God would do what he said; that’s his nature. And he had no problem giving Gideon multiple assurances that this mission was going to work out in a really good way.

Our adventures of faith often come with a lot of questions, and we’re usually more subtle than Gideon in dealing with them. We rarely ask God to prove he’s being honest, but we do question whether we have heard him correctly, taken steps to position ourselves for his answers, disqualified ourselves somewhere along the way, and applied his promises as they were intended. We bounce back and forth between “I don’t measure up!” and “It isn’t about measuring up.” Or between “I’m standing on faith” and “I think I’m being presumptuous.” Or between “I know what God said!” and “Did God really say that?” In those vague territories, feel free to ask God for guidance, assurance, encouragement, and confirmation. Keep the dialogue going; he has not sent you on your way with a past promise and no presence. Talk to him about it and let him speak to you whenever he chooses. His silence may test your faith at times; his voice will eventually come through to confirm it.

There is a living God. . . . He means what he says and will do all he has promised.