And the angel of the LORD appeared to him and said to him, “The LORD is with you, O mighty man of valor.” 13 And Gideon said to him, “Please, my lord, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our fathers recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the LORD has forsaken us and given us into the hand of Midian.”
Do you ever get asked a question you just answered with your previous sentence? The person may not have heard you, or more dramatically, may not have believed you. The angel of the Lord had opened a conversation with the proclamation that the Lord is with him. Gideon heard it loud and clear because he responded. In disbelief. He questioned the presence of the Lord because he saw no evidence. Remember, this is the man who threw out a fleece because he did not believe God’s promise.
“Where was God in the earthquake in Turkey and Syria?” People are asking that as we speak somewhere. The answer is the same. The Lord is there with them and the Lord is with you. Regardless of your circumstances today, remember that God rescued Israel from slavery in Egypt and he rescued us from slavery to sin. His track record should answer any question we have about today. God is good all the time. All the time, God is good. Let us pray that back to him today.
Dear Lord, we thank you for all you have done and all you will do. Help us to remember that when trials come our way, that the Lord is with us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Pastor Brad Boyer
Cape Community Church