Lessons From Gideon

^{In my blog earlier this week, I encouraged my sisters who are wives of pastors and ministers to seek the Lord for His calling on their lives, to keep from being overwhelmed with too many activities and ministry commitments.  God knows us so deeply and so intimately; He places us where we are needed to serve in the body of Christ.  Let's look at an Old Testament hero to help us understand about serving.}

^{Ladies, you remember Gideon, the seemingly reluctant warrior who cautiously made sure he heard from God before he accepted the assignment God had chosen for him.  His story, as told in Judges Chapters 6-8, has some things to teach us as wives of pastors and ministers.  We too desire to clearly hear from the Lord, so from Gideon’s story we can learn:}

^{God chooses us.  The angel of the Lord appeared before Gideon and told him that the Lord was with Him; he was to go and deliver God's people from the oppressive Midianites.  God is also with us, and He chooses us to be wives in ministry to walk side by side with our husbands to support them and to serve His people in our respective churches.  We may not have known that we would marry a pastor or minister, but God knew and equipped us before the foundation of the world. (Ephesians 2:10)}

^{God assures us.   God consumed an offering with fire and allowed Gideon to see the fleece with dew and without dew to confirm that He would be with him in battle.    We may not see such a dramatic manifestation of  God’s presence like Gideon, but the Lord has given us His Spirit to let us know that He is with us and will empower us to do ALL He has called us to do!  It is not by our strength that we do anything, but by His Spirit. (Zechariah 4:6)}

^{God gives us victory.   It’s amazing that Gideon started out with 32,000 men to engage in battle, then 10,000; yet in the end, the Lord allows him to use only 300 to rout a mighty army.   God can use our limited ability and take it and use it to do mighty things, so He gets all the glory and all the credit. We can only boast  in Him and Him alone for our victories! (1 Corinthians 15:57)}

^{We may not be called to defeat a huge army like Gideon, but we are called to serve the Lord as we support our husbands in the ministry.  As we interact with God’s people in our local churches, we get to build relationships and bonds with dear friends that may last a lifetime.  Also, we get to meet other wives who share some of our same struggles and issues, and ultimately we have the blessing of encouraging one another along the journey.}