Perspective

For seven years, the people of God had been oppressed by the Midianites because they had failed to listen to Him. Their suffering was terrible. The Midianites and their allies would periodically come and take whatever they wanted, such as food and livestock. The Israelites were powerless to stop them. All they could do was hide in their dens and caves while the pillagers had their way. Finally, in the depths of their despair, the people cried out to God for help (Judges 6:1-6).

God heard their cries and sent an angelic messenger to an Israelite whom He had chosen to become the next deliverer of His people, a man named Gideon. At the time of his call, Gideon was busy threshing grain in a secret place in hopes of keeping it from being taken by the Midianites. From God’s perspective, apparently Gideon had everything he needed to accomplish the task that God had for him. In fact, the first words Gideon hears from this surprise guest are: “The Lord is with you, O valiant warrior” (Judges 6:12).

It seems that Gideon’s perspective of the situation didn’t mesh with God’s perspective. I can imagine him looking around to see if the messenger was talking to someone else. After all, since when do “valiant warriors” hide in winepresses to do their harvesting? The floodgates of Gideon’s oppressed heart open wide and he gives vent to his frustrations. From his perspective, it appeared that God had abandoned His people (Judges 6:13). Why else would they be enduring such painful struggles?

Tough times can distort our perception of God’s presence in our lives if we are not careful. Like Gideon, we can also have a hard time seeing past the pain and struggles of life to get a clear view of the valiant warrior of God that He may be calling us to be. Perhaps we should learn to view our lives from God’s perspective instead of our own. Only then will we begin to see as we really should.

God loves you!
Mike