How Many Signs Do You Need?
Is it really you speaking to me?
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve asked God that question. I don’t want to take a step if it’s not of him and usually need three confirmations. What about you?
When I read the story of Gideon in Judges 6, I always laugh at all the signs Gideon needed from God, even after he was visited by the angel of the LORD. It hit home.
“Gideon said to God, ‘If you will save Israel by my hand as you promised–look, I will place a wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece and the ground is dry, then I know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you said’” (Judges 6:36–37).
God did what Gideon asked, then Gideon requested that God reverse the process. Dew on the ground. Dry fleece.
Done.
To understand his insecurity, we have to go back to Gideon’s first meeting with God when the Lord asked him to lead a rebellion against the Israelites’ enemy, the Midianites. Gideon said, “Pardon me, my lord, but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family” (Judges 6:15).
Gideon was unsure of himself because of past history. But God was calling him to step out of what he thought he was, to the man he was created to be.
Many times God asks us to do the same and we also can’t believe he wants to use us.
We throw up excuses like “I was the most unpopular kid in the class,” or “I’ve done too much wrong in my life,” or “I’m not qualified.”
God says, “You are perfect!” We say, “I need a sign.”
If you had all the skills needed, then God would not be glorified. He equips us for the call on our lives.
1 Corinthians 1:27 says, “But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.”
God has a larger vision for our lives than we can fathom.
Your past doesn’t matter.
Your stature isn’t a qualification.
The way you look is insignificant.
Your skill level is not a requirement.
He’ll work with our need for confirmation, but once we see the fleece is dry, it’s time to overcome our insecurity and press into our God-given calling.