In A Humble Heart
August 18, 2019We meet Gideon threshing wheat at the wine press during the time when Israel was under the control of the Midianites. He is just a warm body doing a boring job; a man not made for much in this life if we were to judge him by his tasks, his accomplishments or his pedigree. Yet, there he is, faithful enough to do a job that doesn't require a lot of skill, just a warm body with a modicum of discipline to stay put.
What’s more - this isn’t where we meet Gideon; this is where he meets himself every morning of every day. That is, he knows this about himself; that he’s a back bencher within the confines of the least of those in the Nation of Israel, and this perception colors his perception of what is possible in/by/through his life.
When the Angel of the Lord appears to him and tasks him to liberate Israel, and addresses him as a man of mighty valor, Gideon responds, “O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.” (Judges 6:15, NKJV)
When we meet Gideon, his faith is small because his life experiences have been small, but God sees more in him that he sees in himself. Gideon’s faith grows because his heart yearns to seek and receive God with all due diligence. This ultimately brings more than a deeper faith into the life of Gideon - hope and victory by faith into the Nation of Israel.
Greater faith is found in those who humble themselves or allow themselves to be humbled by doing the small and seemingly insignificant tasks. This can only be done with a humble heart, which is what God sees.
In a humble heart God can plant seeds of great faith that will grow by way of the Holy Spirit and bring about a faith filled life. We know this to be true because God has done it over and over and over again - seeing more in us than we could ever see in ourselves by way of faith.