This is my first post of my first blog. So I wanted to share with you what my intentions are with this, and to let you know what to expect. I was listening to a sermon from a young pastor recently and was inspired by his confidence and leadership, and how it displayed his love for God. And I thought to myself, "I should stop thinking that just because I am young, I cannot have influence." So I began to muse on the possibilities of sharing my heart with those who care to listen. So every Tuesday, I will be posting a new set of thoughts that I have been housing in my heart. It is my prayer that anyone who reads this will be inspired to love Jesus more and to seek his presence.
I was recently reading in Judges 6. This chapter and the following ones tell the story of a guy named Gideon. He was a no-name in his area. He was the youngest person, in the smallest family, in the smallest tribe, in Israel, which was in a little corner in the Middle East a long time ago. By all accounts, no one should know who he ever was, except for the fact that God chose him to deliver His people from their oppressors - that's how it is so often, isn't it? God chooses the little people to do big things.
Anyway, so there Gideon was, hiding from the bad guys, when the angel of the Lord shows up. Not realizing that this was a manifestation of God's presence, Gideon greets him. The angel of the Lord responds by telling him that he is a mighty man and favored by God. Gideon almost laughs. His melancholy response was, "Then why are we still slaves. If God is good, then where is he when we need him?" But the angel didn't bite on Gideon's bait. Instead, he commands Gideon to deliver the people of Israel from their oppressors, to which Gideon half-heartedly submits. To show that he welcomed this stranger and had submitted to his command, he prepared an offering for him. This was an animal that he slaughtered for him. But the angel told him to put it on a rock. Then the angel touched the rock and it burst into flames. After this he vanished.
It was at this point that Gideon realized who he was talking to. His perspective immediately changed because he realized that he had just been in the presence of God. Also, his priorities changed. Instead of valuing his safety so much that he was trying to hide, he valued the spiritual vitality of his people. He valued the presence of God that had been severely lacking in his land. So he promptly went to his father's house - albeit at night, due to his fear (courage = doing what is right in the face of fear) - and destroyed all his idols and the images set of Baal, their god. When the people saw what Gideon had done they wanted to kill him immediately. But his father, the owner of the idols, stood up and said that Baal should be able to defend himself. If he really was who they believed he was, he wouldn't need humans to defend him. Thus, Baal was put on trial, so to speak. And God was glorified in Gideon's first steps of obedience - in later chapters God uses him to defeat the whole army of bad guys.
 |
When God's presence is cherished, our perspective is changed, and our priorities are chosen. |
When I was thinking about this story, something struck me. When Gideon began to recognize and cherish God's presence, his whole perspective changed, and so did his priorities. This is also true for us as Christians. When God's presence is cherished, our perspective is changed, and our priorities are chosen. We must learn to cherish the presence of God every day. It will radically change our perspective and our priorities. And God will be glorified. Make it a priority today to set time aside to seek the presence of God. Get away. Get above the noise. Set yourself apart for Him. You won't regret it.
