"John 5:16-30
1. Cry out to the Lord for help
The people of God were in trouble once again. They had done ‘evil in the eyes of the Lord’ (6:1). As a result they were oppressed (v.2) and ‘reduced to grinding poverty’ (v.6, MSG).
The turning point came for them, as it so often does for us, when they ‘cried out to the Lord for help’ (v.6).
Lord, thank you so much for the many times in my life when you have answered my cry for help. Today again I cry out to you …
2. Know that God is with you
God raised up Gideon and said to him, ‘The Lord is with you, mighty warrior’ (v.12). Gideon said to God, ‘But Lord ... How can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family’ (v.15). The Lord answered, ‘I will be with you’ (v.16).
Lord, thank you for those wonderful words ‘I will be with you’ (v.16). Thank you, Jesus, for your promise that you will be with me always, until the very end of the age (Matthew 28:20).
3. Know your weaknesses
Thankfully, God uses cracked pots! Gideon said, ‘How can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family’ (Judges 6:15). I often feel that God cannot use me because of my weaknesses. But sometimes God works through our weaknesses better than through our strengths.
Personally, I draw great comfort from the words of the apostle Paul: ‘Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me ... For when I am weak, then I am strong’ (2 Corinthians 12:9–10).
Thank you that, like the cracked water pot, sometimes you use me because of my weaknesses.
4. Obey God fearlessly
Gideon ‘did as the Lord told him’ (Judges 6:27), even though he risked death (v.30). I find that I am often timid in the face of opposition. However, the opposition we face is nothing compared to what Gideon and, certainly, what Jesus faced. As Joyce Meyer says, ‘When fear knocks on your door, let faith answer!’
Lord, help me not to be put off by opposition but to obey you fearlessly.
5. Be God-confident
The secret of Gideon’s power was that ‘the Spirit of the Lord came upon [him]’ (v.34). Don’t be self-confident; be God-confident.
God does not need large numbers. In fact he said to Gideon, ‘you have too many men’ (7:2). He does not want the people to think it was their own strength that saved them. He reduced the numbers from 22,000 to 300 (vv.1–7).
We do not need large numbers to see a nation transformed but we do need the power of the Holy Spirit. If you are confident in God, he can work through you as he did through Gideon.
Lord, I need your Holy Spirit if I am going to fulfill the calling you have given me. Please send your Holy Spirit upon me today. Come, Holy Spirit."
1. Hallelujah for always being with me. May I always cry to You because You are already there ready to listen. Thank You for Your love.
2. Thank You for some output today, O, Lord. Thank You.
3. Thank You for new and fun friendship from work no matter how long it will last. Please bless it. Amen.
