Is life a comedy or a tragedy? Are we the hero or the victim? Or maybe the villain? Is the world descending into chaos and dystopia or are we on a path of ever-increasing prosperity and progress? The stories we tell orient us to our place in the world and our role in the story.
The Bible tells the story of a loving God and a messy people. There is a beginning and an end. Major themes of creation, redemption, and sanctification trace the arc of this grand narrative. And Jesus Christ is the center of it all – the great hero of the story who comes incognito to rescue and redeem his broken creation.
Invocation
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Invitation
Risen Christ, by your death and resurrection you brought dawn to darkness. You have made a new way, from death to life, cross to crown, grave to glory. We are frail creatures in a world of change and decay. Rule over us in your resurrection power. Subdue sin and evil, disease and destruction. We have nothing apart from you, for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever, Amen.
Confession
O Lord, I live a world of dead ends. There is always an end. An end to my energy. My time. My love. My patience. My money. My very life. I am trapped by limits. I am burdened by my frail, finite limits. I have exhausted all other options. Nothing else satisfies. You burst forth from the grave to give me life beyond the horizon. You are my singular hope, my only prayer. Risen Savior, have mercy on my dead ends.
Word: Judges 7:2
“The Lord said to Gideon, ‘The people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast over me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’”
Meditation: Against All Odds by Julianna Shults
The Bible reminds us that God does some of his best work in impossibly desperate moments. David and Goliath, Paul’s journeys, Moses, Daniel—all evidence that our all-powerful God can do so much more than we ask or imagine.
Gideon, our unlikely and terrified hero, is about to learn this first hand. An army of Israelites gathers to defeat Midian. Gideon now has an army of 22,000 people, which probably did a lot to calm his nervous nature.
There is only one problem: God now tells Gideon that there are too many fighters. If Israel wins, they may believe that it was due to their numbers and their own strength, rather than God. God wants to be sure that His people know exactly whose power leads them to victory.
God gives Gideon a series of directions to whittle down the number of men Gideon will take into battle. With each set of instructions, the number goes down. I can only imagine the panic that rose with every fighter who left to head back home. By the time they are done, only 300 remain.
Desperation and fear began to replace any confidence Gideon felt. How on earth is God going to save us with 300 people against a huge army?
What Gideon misses in this moment is that Israel is delivered from the hands of Midian, not because Gideon is strong or because their army is strong, but because God is strong. God does some of his best work in impossibly desperate moments.
Several times in my life I have had to step out in faith knowing that what I am doing will only work by God’s good and gracious will. I can’t see how I will make it or how God’s gospel will be shared. The odds seem stacked. I wonder how God will redeem these dark, terrifying moments. Yet I know God’s salvation for me, and I cling to the times God has acted before.
Spoiler alert: Gideon not only goes on to subdue the Midianites, but he rules over the Israelites for 40 years after they take the land back. Gideon is successful not because of his power, but because of God’s. He stepped out in faith because God always had the battle well in hand. In his story we are reminded that God is the one who will do the work. In faith, we step out and show up and are amazed at what God can do. He does some of His best work in those impossibly desperate moments.
Dear God, when we are facing big problems, help us to always remember that you are bigger than them. Help us to trust in your plan and your love for us. Amen.
Benediction
The God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen. (I Pet. 5:10-11)