Throw out the Fleece!

Remember the story of Gideon and the fleece? God called Gideon to be Israel’s deliverer. The Lord assured him on numerous occasions that He would be with him and allow him to strike down all the Midianites in battle. Gideon needed visible signs though…lots of them. First he asked for a sign that it was really the Lord who was speaking to him. So God obliged him and consumed the sacrifice with fire that Gideon prepared. With much excitement Gideon realized that he had seen the angel of the Lord face to face! (Judges 6:22). God again assured him that he would not die and told him not to be afraid. But his emotions got the best of him and being wary and unconfident, he chose to ask God again for clarity and assurance. He told God that he would lay out a fleece on the threshing floor and if dew was only on the fleece and the ground was dry then he would know for sure that God would save Israel by his hand. Once again, God granted his request. A third time Gideon asked to make one more request and this time if the fleece was dry and the ground was covered with dew, then he would know for absolute certain that God was indeed going to save Israel by his hand. Wow! Three times Gideon requested signs from God regarding the same matter. Was he putting God to the test or was he simply asking for reassurance and confirmation? One might say that his motive was right, but maybe his approach or method was a little less than ideal.

I personally don’t think there is anything wrong with asking God for guidance. In fact, God welcomes it. But could it be that continually demanding extra signs is an indication of unbelief? Or was Gideon’s faith just a little weak? Maybe he really didn’t think that God could do all that He said He would. In my own Christian walk I have learned that there are degrees to faith. As a new believer, I’d often make special requests of God to confirm in my heart that it was His voice I heard. Often I would not believe unless I had some visible sign or great manifestation or feeling. God was so gracious to me and understood that I needed more tangible evidence of His presence or answer to prayer. So, I too, put out my fleece. Although this is true faith, it is imperfect faith. It seems to always look for some token or feeling beside the Word of God. An advance in faith is when we can believe and trust God without needing “proof” or experiencing overwhelming emotions all the time. The highest form of faith believes and trusts God and His Word when all circumstances, emotions, people, and human reason urge to the contrary. God gave us His Word and it is truly the greatest means of guidance and wisdom that we have available to us. It is His complete and fully revealed truth. What else do we need? I must admit that I vacillate between the three types of faith. Sometimes, my faith is so strong that I just know because I know. God has proved Himself faithful to me over and over again and no amount of emotion or tangible sign will make me love or trust Him more than I already do. Then at other times, I seem to be like Gideon and I want confirmation over and over again before I will budge. Is it really you, Lord? Can you please just give me another sign and then I’ll do what you want.

While I know that God’s answers to our prayers are sometimes clearly evident, sometimes He allows us to go through seasons of “waiting”. Maybe it is in these waiting periods when He just wants us to lay our burdens down, sit at His feet, seek Him alone, and bask in His presence. Maybe we don’t need all that fleece. Can it be that just being still and knowing that He is God is sufficient enough? Can it be that just believing He loves us is truly all we need? Sure, there may be times when we need to know for certain that we have heard from God before we act, especially on important matters, but let us not make that an excuse for inactivity or disobedience. Sometimes fear makes us want to wait for more confirmation. While God is often gracious enough to give us these visible signs, if we come to expect or demand them we are keeping ourselves from growing in our faith.

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Heb 11:1

Remember that relying only on “putting out fleeces” is a poor decision-making method. When we do this we put limitations on God. We are asking Him to fit into our expectations and then bless our methods. I think God prefers we seek after Him with all of our hearts through prayer and Bible study. He tells us to ask, seek, and knock. If we do, we’ll get all the answers, wisdom and guidance we need. And although we may still pull it out occasionally, we’ll actually be okay without the fleece!

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Matthew 7:7-8

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33

School of Suffering

We do everything possible to avoid it. In fact, we go out of our way to steer clear of it. We run; we hide; we shun it. No one is immune from it, and one day, it will come knocking on our door. We will not welcome it in, but it will burst open the door, force its way in, unannounced, and certainly uninvited. What is this most unpleasant thing that we would rather not have anything to do with? It is our arch-enemy, our rival. And its name is Suffering.

I don’t think I know of anyone who welcomes this tyrant. When it makes its visit, we resist, we wail and scream, and we fight it with all our strength. Unfortunately, it is much stronger than we are, and we quickly succumb to its overwhelming brute force. To those around us it is quite apparent that we are not in a “happy” state of mind. Our emotions overwhelm us, and we outwardly show the world this pain we are in through various ways. Some of us cry uncontrollably, others withdraw into our own world, and still others openly complain about our situation. Only the “seasoned” sufferer takes it in stride and is able to manage his pain for he has learned the secret of how to live with it.

I’ve often wondered why we shun suffering so much. After all, Jesus himself suffered immensely for our salvation. How is it that we think we can avoid it? Jesus said that in this world we will have tribulation, but we are to take heart for He has overcome the world. I must admit that if I had not personally experienced extreme suffering myself, I would still not understand the purpose of it at all. I’ve heard it said that the school of suffering graduates rare scholars. Something happens in this “school of suffering” that transforms us in ways that nothing else can. Faith grows exponentially, we loosen our grip on the things of this world, and we seek to know God in deeper and more profound ways. We want an answer for our suffering. Why God, have you allowed this debilitating disease to ravage my body? Why God, did you allow my little boy to die? Why God, must I carry such deep wounds from being unloved by my parents? These and many more “whys” fill our minds and grieve our souls. We simply must have an answer, and suffering provokes us to find it. Ironically, we will not find the answers to our suffering through the world itself. We find and make peace with our suffering only when we turn to Jesus. Even so, often our pain lingers for what seems like an eternity. Yet God miraculously gives us a new perspective—His perspective, and it sure is better than ours. Ours seeks to reason and rationalize—His shows us an eternal glory that awaits us if we persevere. Ours wants the suffering to end—His asks us to come unto Him and He will help us through our trials.

Dr. Charles Parkhurst said that “To do and suffer God’s will is still the highest form of faith. Great faith is exhibited not so much in ability to do as to suffer.” I challenge you to think back for a moment on some of the trials you have suffered through. Were you not able to comfort or encourage someone else going through a similar experience? Those who are most effective at helping and sympathizing with others are those who have also paid the high price of affliction. He who would be a helper, must first be a sufferer. Likewise, we must never forget that to have a sympathizing God, we first had to have a suffering Savior. Jesus suffered everything imaginable from loneliness, to hunger, to persecution, to rejection, and ultimately death on a cross. Yes, Jesus can sympathize with us in our troubles and sorrows. And He alone can heal and mend a broken heart.

Next time you find yourself in the unwanted “school of suffering,” lean close to the One who loves you so much and who wants to use this pain, this trial, this discomfort, to not only refine your character, but to bring you to Himself in a new and fresh way so that you can help those who are also suffering, thereby bringing God the glory He so deserves. Jesus, our suffering Servant, endured the cross for “the joy set before Him”. Ask Him to give you the ability to endure your cross, your suffering for the joy and glory set before you. The only way to get through it and be refined by it is to take His hand, His strength, and His power. You’ll be amazed at what He can do through you, and with time you will find an incredible blessing behind all your pain.

In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 1 Peter 1:6-7

Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be oeverjoyed whi His glory is revealed. 1 Peter 4:12

Not only so, be we rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoiont us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us. Romans 5:3-5

In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering. Heb 2:10

“The cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it? John 18:11