Gideon said to the Lord, “Please, Lord, how can I deliver Israel? Look, my family is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father’s family.” “But I will be with you,” the Lord said to him. “You will strike Midian down as if it were one man.” (Judges 6:15-16)
In this passage, we see God command Gideon to do what he thought was unthinkable—lead the charge in removing the oppression the Midianites brought upon Israel. The problem: Gideon doesn’t think he is qualified. He’s insecure of his ability. He probably looked over his shoulder to see if the angel of the Lord was talking to someone else.
What would you do if the angel of the Lord appeared to you and called you to do something so challenging and seemingly impossible? Perhaps that thing is to live our lives entirely for the Lord, which we must be honest in acknowledging is a truly tall task.
Yet, we see the inverse of insecurity in just the next chapter of Judges: arrogance. God foresees arrogance emerging from the Israelites if they defeat the Midianites with too many troops and commands Gideon to send thousands home (Judges 7:2-8). Clearly. both insecurity and arrogance are no good.
As Christians, we must not rely on our individual temperaments, whether it is overconfidence, which can even be arrogance, in our ability. Nor should we avoid the Lord’s callings for our lives because of our insecurity of inaptitude. Rather, our assurance and confidence should be solely and squarely on the Lord.
If your faith and assurance is in Christ, he is always with you. To Gideon the Lord said, “But I will be with you.” Jesus told his disciples before rebuking the storm, “Why are you afraid, you of little faith?” And at the end of His time on earth, he tells every believer, “I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matt. 8:26, 28:20).
We don’t need to look over our shoulder when God calls us to take the next step in faith. We don’t even need assurance of having God’s favor that Gideon pleaded for. We already have it through Christ. Whatever it is that God is calling of you, the Lord needs our focus and reliance on Him.
If you are fearful and uncertain, go to God for the reassurance only He can provide. Alternatively, if you are grinding away without a hitch, take a step back ask the Lord for clarity and guidance and to solely live in the strength he provides.