Then he said to Him, “If now I have found favor in Your sight, then show me a sign that it is You who talk with me. – Judge 6:17
Is there something that you think you need to do?
How can you tell that what you want to do is what is best for you?
Though a crossroad to us may seem like a decision between left and right, God sees the potential pitfalls, the dangers, and maybe a third or fourth path that we never saw. Proverbs 5:21 says that all a man’s ways are before the Lord.
Doesn’t that just make the whole process more confusing? How do I see what I can’t see?
The encouragement we see from the story of Gideon in Judges 6, is to put your thoughts to the test.
Gideon grew up in an idolatrous time. The bible says that men had no king, so they did whatever they thought was right. The things of God were often mixed with idol worship, and for Gideon that grew up in such a spiritually polluted environment, God’s identity was close to indecipherable.
God spoke to Gideon about leading his people to war, and Gideon believed, but he wanted to be sure that the One who spoke to him was really God. For how could he be sure that this was not Molech, Chiuun, or another normal idol that he had often heard of? He asked God for multiple signs to be sure that he was following the right path. God was not impatient with him, and he ended up accomplishing the plan God had for him.
We should do the same thing with all of our own thoughts. Before you begin to act on an idea, bring it before God! Ask him to show you his perfect will!
One benefit that Gideon did not have, that you might, is Godly counsel. Bring your ideas before people who have wisdom and God’s Spirit. A child of God should never run from scrutiny, for if God has sent you, then your mission will stand the test of criticism. Accept it! Don’t allow yourself to be righteous only in your own eyes.
If you put these principles to practice, your heart will become more and more purified of your own will, and you will grow more and more in agreement with God. That is the way to a prosperous life in God’s eyes.
PRAYER: Lord, search my heart. Here are my thoughts. See if there is any selfish desire in me, and lead me. I want to do your will. Help me to see clearly so that I can make the right choice. Help me to look to you and not to the standards of this world. Guide me to good counsel, and help me to be willing to receive it. I receive grace to bear fruit, grace to work hard, grace to persevere, and grace to wait on You, in Jesus name. Amen.