Gideon: The Study, Part 5, Say Thank You First

When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he bowed down and worshiped. Judges 7:15

Begin the Battle on Your Knees. Priscilla Shirer’s Gideon, Session 5

I laid holding the child whose body was wracked with coughing and wheezing and straining at 4:53 a.m.  A different child than the one I held at 12:53 a.m. the same night.  On the ninth night of being up at least twice a night for an hour each with a sick child.  One shaking and feverish.  Or one nauseous.  Or one overcome by intolerable coughing.  I laid there and said, “PLEASE help God, I can’t keep going.  He can’t keep going.  I don’t have one shred left to offer.”

And this study came flooding in.  It likely came flooding in because it happened just this morning, and I had just listened to Audio Session 5 after Week 4 of studying Gideon.  Priscilla Shirer shares how Gideon faced the battle giving thanks and on his knees.  He fell down and blessed God before going into the battle.

Most battles are bigger than mine today.  Some battles are over your marriage or over God’s calling for your life or over an addiction.  But friends, this was still an in-the-moment battle.  One I didn’t have a shred of strength to tackle.

So I heard those words echoing in my head while laying there with my precious boy and changed my prayer:  Thank you God for this precious child.  Thank you that we live in a country where we know that he has asthma and can treat it when an infection comes.  Thank you for our doctor who agreed to see him yet again this morning and check his oxygen levels.  Thank you for your plan on his life and all that this is teaching us.  Would you come help?  Intervene?  We are both so exhausted and I don’t know how I can tackle another day.  Thank you for promising to be there when we don’t have an ounce of our own strength.  I’m going to need to call on that today.

See, it’s not like we’ve been taught to say please and then thank you.  No.  Gideon reminds us we’re supposed to say thank you first.

We left off last week where we were reminded that God is patient.  Thank heavens.  God was patient with Gideon – through him questioning the angel of the Lord in Judges 6, during the testing of God with the dew on the fleece (we didn’t study it, but don’t miss Judges 6:36-40 where Gideon TESTS God!), and as he prepares for battle in Judges 7.  God is also patient with us!

And hopefully you will be patient with me as we walk through Week 4’s homework next week because it’s just been a really hard week.