Judges 6 – Unlikely Leader

When I was a kid, I remember sneaking off to our tree house way out in the woods by the edge of our property.  It was a quiet summer afternoon and I was all by myself.  From the top of the fort I could look out over the rusty field below and up into the expansive sky above.  It was time for a talk.

“God, it’s me, Reuben.  Okay listen, I’ve got this idea.  A great way for you to prove you love me and we're in this thing together.  Here’s my idea: Can you make me fly?  Not all the time or anything--just for 15 minutes, tops.  And don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone; I'll do my flying on the down-low.  It’ll be something just You and I can share, kind of a secret handshake in the clouds.  What do you think?  I totally believe you can make this happen if you wanted to.”
I had stumbled onto a profound theological question: Can God be tested?

I suspect all of us want special favors from God.  We want Him to make Himself known to us, to dazel us with a sign, to write out His plan for our lives so it will be clear.

But in John 4:48, Jesus responds directly to people like me: "Unless you people see miraculous signs and wonders, you will never believe."

Like Gideon, I wanted to be dazzled.  I wanted proof of His power.  Or maybe I just wanted to control God.  Over and over again in scriptures, it seems that God is far more interested in growing our faith than passing our tests.

Consider this: What if God actually did for you and me what He did for Gideon?  How would this grow our faith?  Maybe God wants us to do the work to earnestly seek Him, instead of answering our every demand for a sign.