The True Strength Paradox

Article 102 | Why Gideon? (Pt. 1)

Have you heard the popular motivational expression, “God gives His toughest battles to His strongest soldiers”? Well, it’s not true. Or I should say, it’s not in the Bible. And as a matter of fact, when we do take a look at scripture, what we find is something very different.

God doesn’t give His toughest battles to His strongest soldiers; He gives them to the soldiers He wants to make stronger.

In a time when Israel was without a king and relied on judges to keep order in the nation, God chose the lowliest of lowly men to rise to the task of freeing the nation from oppression. 

Gideon's story, found in the Book of Judges, chapters six through eight, illustrates the aforementioned principle perfectly, and over the next few articles, we will explore this man as a case study of this idea. While he may not be the most popular of Biblical figures, his testimony delivers a great message we all may need to hear today.

In all senses, Gideon was the bottom of all forms of social, economic, and cultural hierarchies of the time and place. Within the oppressed and defeated nation of Israel, he was from the unpopular tribe of Manasseh, from which he was of the weakest clan, of which his family was relatively insignificant, and to really drive the point home, he happened to be the lowest in his own blood. We know all this as fact, as described in the book Judges… AND YET! When the Angel of the Lord appears, he greets him with “The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor.”

This guy? The nobody? Mhm. “O mighty man of valor?” Exactly.

See, God didn't see where Giddeon was; he was already looking at where he was gonna go with him. Knowing this is the key to better comprehending why God works the way he does. What's ahead (the courage needed, the strategy to fight, the leadership to navigate) Giddeon is not ready for, but that’s the very point. If God had wanted to give this tough battle to a tough soldier, he could have. But instead, he didn't choose a soldier at all; he chose a man he wanted to build up, fortify, and forge for his grander purpose.

I bring this up to emphasize that we often aren't ready for what lies ahead. Whatever is in question may require more than what we have. Yes, the road might be longer than what we think we can handle, but by all Biblical indications, this is not an error in the system but a right of passage of God’s chosen. 

After all, God is known for choosing Davids when it comes to Goliath-sized problems. Why would he change his mind when it came to us?

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If you think you are too young to be respected, too old to have anything to say, too strange to be taken seriously, or too normal to be interesting, you are lying to yourself. God can, and does, use anyone. Who are we to deny His abilities?

Moreover, if you have ever felt like life is more than you can handle, I have a suspicion you were exactly where you needed to be. While I have no answer for each of our “Why God?” moments, now, more than ever, I am convinced that God doesn’t give His toughest battles to His strongest soldiers; He gives them to the soldiers He wants to help make stronger.

This week, if you find yourself, as I have, reflected in Gideon, this is a call to take courage and step up in faith to whatever this “bigger than me” thing is. Remind yourself that although you might not “feel” ready, God already knows that and has got your back. The ball is now in your court, do you obey or do you hide? It starts with being willing.

- Making The Most Of Being Curious

Daniel J. Cuesta

P.S. Here’s the beauty in this: while life might not be fair, God is. In our difficult moments, God always stays to fight right beside us. This reminds me of another popular aphorism, one that I believe holds true: “God does not call the equipped; he equips the called.” See, although Gideon's resume was lacking, the Lord was not. Yet here we stand, centuries later, looking at our own life records, saying to ourselves, “God, you could never use me”... 

Sources:

God doesn’t give His toughest battles to His strongest soldiers; He gives them to the soldiers He wants to make stronger:  Judges 6–8 (entire narrative

God Can And Does Use Anyone:  But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. - 1 Samuel 16:7

Strength THROUGH Weakness & Reliance On God: But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. -2 Corinthians 12:9-10