An Unexpected Leader

Judges 6:15

“Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.”

How can Gideon,  the least in his family from the weakest clan in Manasseh, be a great leader? I think we all ask God that about ourselves sometimes. How can I be anything great when there are so many negative voices in my life? How can I overcome disadvantages and lead my family into prosperity?

There are many stories of surprising success. How many mothers have prayed for their children to rise above the limited successes achieved by the parents? How many great leaders have come from disadvantaged backgrounds?

When I hear about a “self-made man”, I know God had a hand in making that man. I know there are plenty of people who used principles given to us by God and achieved victories in different areas of their lives based on doing things God’s way.

Gideon is a man who was from an impoverished family. He lived in an area where the surrounding people trampled their crops and killed their livestock. They had been so beaten down that they called out to God for help.

Isn’t that usually how we humans do things? We try to handle things on our own, and we fail miserably. Then when we’ve had enough of our self-made poverty, complaining the whole time about all those other people who have been ruining our chances for success, we come to the point where there’s nothing left but to pray.

We’ve tried everything, and nothing has worked, so we pray to God and ask for help. I’ve done that. Have you?

When Gideon’s family came to the point of praying, God answered with a personal visitation. It kind of freaked Gideon out. But he wasn’t stupid. He knew to take advantage of this important opportunity.

He began obeying the instruction of God. God helped him organize a small army who would follow his leadership. The battle wasn’t fought with traditional weapons. The men who might’ve been saying “this will never work” were not allowed to join Gideon’s army.

Gideon was an unexpected leader who found success by departing from expected tactics. Sometimes success lies just ahead if we will change our ways. We have to be bold enough to take a risk. We have to follow God. And following God is never risky unless we’re seeking the approval of man.

Do you need God to help you find your victory? Try making changes to the way you’re doing things. God might lead you down an unexpected path that leads to your success.

Thanks for seeking God with me.