Judges 6:36-40 (NLT) Then Gideon said to God, "If you are truly going to use me to rescue Israel as you promised, prove it to me in this way. I will put a wool fleece on the threshing floor tonight. If the fleece is wet with dew in the morning but the ground is dry, then I will know that you are going to help me rescue Israel as you promised." And that is just what happened. When Gideon got up early the next morning, he squeezed the fleece and wrung out a whole bowlful of water. Then Gideon said to God, "Please don't be angry with me, but let me make one more request. Let me use the fleece for one more test. This time let the fleece remain dry while the ground around it is wet with dew." So that night God did as Gideon asked. The fleece was dry in the morning, but the ground was covered with dew.
Have you ever gone on a trip and thought you knew where you were going, only to get lost on the way and realize that you didn’t really remember or know how to get to your destination after all? I have. In fact, this past Saturday, I was going to ride from one town to another by way of a road I had never traveled. Now, I knew which roads to take, but I didn’t want to take any chances that I would take the wrong road, so I stopped and bought a map. I only looked at it but once, but it made me feel more confident in getting to my destination.
Gideon was like that. He wanted to know that he was going to arrive at the right destination. So he questioned God to find out if he was hearing God’s directions correctly – if he was going the right way. So he asked for signs. By this time, Gideon had already torn down the altar to Baal and built an altar to the Lord God in its place. Gideon had stood against the vast company of Midianites with just 300 men, and had won. He had learned to trust in God’s provision for him and his people, but he still didn’t want to take any chances that he might be hearing God incorrectly. So he asked for a sign. And then another sign.
Gideon could have been proud by this time, and could have thought he couldn’t be beaten, just like I could have thought that I knew the way on my journey without buying a map. But Gideon consulted the Lord before he made his move, and he remained humble, asking for God’s direction and help. God heard him and answered his prayer. Just like my map confirmed my directions for my trip, so God confirmed Gideon’s directions for his plan.
How often have we just taken off on our own without asking for God’s directions? God gave us a wonderful map called The Bible. In it are the instructions for living an abundant life full of love if we live it according to God’s plan and directions. The only way we will know those directions is by reading God’s love letter to us – God’s Word, the Bible. Through Scripture and prayer, God directs our paths just like he directed the paths of Gideon.
In what area of my life do I need to ask for God’s direction today?
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