A reluctant leader

Politics used to be one of my passions. While living in Massachusetts I ran for an office quaintly called a Selectman, a town councilman. As a conservative in one of the most liberal states in the country, I was not elected, finishing 6th in a field of 7! However, the experience of knocking on doors, standing in front of the post office shaking hands every Saturday morning, and being 'attacked' in letters to the editor was an amazing civics lesson. I am not as excited by the political process as I once was, but I continue to have an interest in the process, so I have watched the Presidential race with more than passing interest.

Do ever wonder what possesses a person to want to be the President of the United States? A candidate's entire life is open to question, on display, dissected and criticized endlessly. Privacy is a thing of the past. Critics abound. Praise is scant, problems are huge, and the threat of bodily harm is never far away. Once elected, that person cannot even run down to McDonald's for a burger if he wants one without mobilizing a small army of security and shutting down parts of the city! Drawing on my own experience in my very small foray in politics, I believe those candidates have a noble impulse, believing that they have a program that will benefit the nation if they are elected. To be sure each has a huge ego. If they did not, they would not survive the rough and tumble of Presidential politics, but they also want to make a difference for this country - at great cost to themselves and their families.

Unlike Romney, Guilani, Clinton, or Edwards - Gideon, a leader of Israel that we meet in the book of Judges, was a reluctant leader. He didn't run for office, nor did local politicos seek him out and try to convince him to become a candidate! He was a farmer just trying to feed his family when God sent an angel to the oak of Ophrah that belonged to Joash, the Abiezerite. (Just threw in those little details for fun!) This man was not bold, nor was he brave. When he first appears in the Bible story, he is concealing himself as best he could, avoiding attracting attention, trying to thresh wheat in a tiny winepress in a remote place. But God saw qualities in him that He needed at that time, in that place, so He sent a divine recruiter. "The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, "Mighty hero, the Lord is with you!"" (Judges 6:12, NLT) Gideon's response is almost funny. Cynically, he asks the messenger, "If the Lord is with us, why are all these bad things happening to us? Where are all those miracles that I heard about in the past?" The ensuing conversation continues in much the same give and take. The angel tells Gideon God wants him to be Israel's deliverer. Gideon tells the angel he doesn't want the job!

Finally, Gideon prepares a sacrifice which the angel touched with the tip of his staff and it was miraculously burnt up! So, Gideon was convinced, right? Wrong. He was still not ready to work for God. So we come to the story for which Gideon is best known. "Then Gideon said to God, "If you are truly going to use me to rescue Israel as you promised, prove it to me in this way. I will put a wool fleece on the threshing floor tonight. If the fleece is wet with dew in the morning but the ground is dry, then I will know that you are going to help me rescue Israel as you promised." And that is just what happened. When Gideon got up early the next morning, he squeezed the fleece and wrung out a whole bowlful of water. Then Gideon said to God, "Please don’t be angry with me, but let me make one more request. Let me use the fleece for one more test. This time let the fleece remain dry while the ground around it is wet with dew." So that night God did as Gideon asked. The fleece was dry in the morning, but the ground was covered with dew." (Judges 6:36-40, NLT) After that, he was a changed man and became a great leader, restoring Israel's security and prosperity.

Are you reluctant to let God use you, Believer?
Do you look at those around you and see people more skilled, better prepared, and feel intimidated - thinking, "Lord, I'll just stand by quietly. Use them!"?
Does the cost of joining God's service seem too high?

Consider Gideon, the reluctant leader! God saw in him what he could not see in himself. Where his neighbor's saw a man without much to distinguish himself, God saw a man who thought strategically, who would learn to respond obediently and faithfully, and who could accomplish amazing things. And the Lord persistently called this man, encouraging him through his doubts, to a place of effective service. He can do the same in you and through you!

Here's what I learn from the Bible - all of God's children are called to serve and equipped for the task to which He calls them. The Holy Spirit divinely empowers us to serve the purposes of God in our world. A sample listing of the ways He prepares us for service is found in the Word where we read this amazing and wonderful promise. "A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge. The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said.

It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have." (1 Corinthians 12:7-11, NLT)

Don't be reluctant!
Put yourself at God's disposal. Let Him use you. It will cost you! However, the results will resound to His glory and your faithful service will earn you the commendation of Heaven. Is anything better than that?