The Lord is with You

"And the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon and said to him, "The LORD is with you, O mighty man of valour" Judges 6:12.

Notice here in the story of Gideon this amazing feature of our Lord. Here is Gideon secretly beating out wheat in a winepress when the angel of the Lord appears to him (Jdg 6:11). The very fact that he was beating out wheat in a winepress reveals he is a coward. For if instead, he had been beating out wheat rightly on a threshing floor, the Midianites would certainly have come against him and taken hold of the wheat. So, Gideon is not that bold, and hence in secret, he is quietly saving some wheat. Such an ordinary, weak, timid man, yet the LORD calls him a "mighty man of valour".

This address is so unreal and humorous that one thinks Gideon would have turned around to see if the Lord was truly addressing him or someone else behind him. But we know the Lord was addressing the timid Gideon himself as a mighty man of courage. Why? Was He lying or indulging in some self-esteem booster dose for Gideon? The Lord does neither. The Lord was not lying. Gideon is a mighty man of valour in the eyes of the Lord because He says, Gideon will indeed be the man who will deliver Israel from the Midianites (Jdg 6:16). Yes, this very timid Gideon who doesn't even have the boldness to break wheat on his threshing floor will be the one who will set Israel free from the Midianites. So the Lord was calling Gideon as a mighty man of courage in light of his future, not his past or his present. Since He already knows our future obedience, He does not deal with us as men do. When reinstating Peter, the Lord Jesus did not address Peter as merely the apostle who denied him thrice, but also as the Peter who in future would become a martyr for Him (Jn. 21:18-19).

Secondly, the Lord is not boosting Gideon's self-esteem because the Lord Himself says how this timid Gideon will become the triumphant Gideon. It is not by Gideon gaining a new boldness and courage from within himself or by suddenly having a lot of muscle power and might in his physique. No, rather, the secret of his transformation and victory is found in the divine affirmation – "the Lord is with you" (Jdg 6:12, 14, 16). It is the presence of the Lord with Gideon which will transform him into a mighty man of valour. We read later how the Spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon (Jdg 6:34) as he suddenly becomes a commander of an army (Jdg 6:35) that eventually wins the battle against the Midianites.

The future exploits for the kingdom of God ordained for us in the will of God would all be fruitful not because we will grow stronger in ourselves, but because the Lord will be with us. As years go by, if we become increasingly weak in ourselves and dependent on the Lord, then His presence with us will thus accomplish all His purposes concerning us. This is the secret, the key to all transformation and victory – the Lord is with us. He is Immanuel, God with us, firstly through the incarnation of the Lord Jesus, and now not only with us but also in us through the indwelling Holy Spirit. When He is with us and in us, as we also abide in Him, nothing and no one will stop us from becoming what He has ordained us to be for Him in our destiny.

So dear Christian, in all your prayers and communion with the Lord, be encouraged to know that the Lord does not look at you through your past mistakes and sins, nor your present failures or weaknesses, but as the one whom you would be in eternity by the grace of God. On that blessed shore, when you will face your sweet Bridegroom after having trodden your earthly pilgrimage for Him, with what warmth of love He will then welcome you, address you, and receive you, He addresses and accepts you already! This is the blessedness of being a justified sinner in Christ. Because of the Lord Jesus Christ and His righteousness being yours by faith, you have already received God's endtime verdict concerning you – you are saved from all His wrath. Hence He already calls you saved, even though His wrath and your escape from it are both in the future. On the practical benefit of this assurance, Peter says we should enter our battles not with uncertainty regarding our eternal security, but being already confident of that which awaits us in the future when the Lord returns, namely, grace and not wrath (1 Peter 1:13). Assurance of our eternal salvation is thus a prerequisite for an obedient life. Horatius Bonar echoed the apostle and put it as follows:

Terror accomplishes no real obedience. Suspense brings forth no fruit unto holiness. Only the certainty of love, forgiving love, can do this ... No fear of wrath can make us holy. No gloomy uncertainty as to God's favour can subdue one lust, or correct our crookedness of will. But the free pardon of the cross uproots sin, and withers all its branches ... Free and warm reception into the divine favour is the strongest of all motives in leading a man to seek conformity to Him who has thus freely forgiven him all trespasses.^[1]

Therefore, being assured of the unfailing love of the Lord who has certainly saved you for all eternity, look at all your present battles confident that He is with you. For every sin that tempts and oppresses you, remember you are not facing it all alone. He is with you to help you overcome it. For every attack of the Enemy against you, He is with you to empower you to withstand it. Remember, as with Gideon, He only calls us to battles where He has already ordained our victory in Christ. In every trial, difficulty, heavy responsibilities, and all the chores of life which you will face today, your Saviour is with you to bless you with His fruitfulness. May you be humble, forsaking all pride and self-righteousness, and depend wholeheartedly on the Lord who is with you through His Spirit and thus see your victory today. Amen.