I remember hearing the story of a young man on drugs for years. He was married but was unfaithful. He physically and emotionally abused his wife. He was not the kind of fellow you and I would probably want to meet for coffee.
But God saw something in this man the world didn’t see. God saw a future pastor and leader. Today, that man faithfully leads a congregation of thousands.
His success was on the other side of his failure.
A businessman I know was a successful financial manager. Some mistakes he made resulted in him losing his license. His life was in shambles. Desperate for help, he turned to God. God saw something special in this broken man. Today, he runs a very successful financial consulting business—a significant portion of the profits from his business support numerous Kingdom building ministries.
His success was on the other side of his failure.
There are numerous people in the Bible whose stories of failure ultimately led to success. One of the most compelling is the story of Gideon.
Israel’s Failure
The people of Israel did evil in the sight of God by worshipping foreign gods (Judges 6). As a result, God allowed the Midianites to attack the Israelites for seven years. Every year, when the Israelite crops were ready to harvest, the Midianites raided them.
After seven years, the people of Israel were impoverished and desperate. So, they finally called out to God for help. God sent a prophet explaining the Midianites’ oppression occurred because the Israelites had not obeyed God.
God then sent an angel to call on Gideon to raise an army to defeat the Midianites.
Gideon’s Call
Gideon was hiding in a winepress beating out a little grain when the angel found him. The angel called on Gideon, referring to him as “a mighty man of valor.” The angel promised Gideon success in the battle because the Lord sent him and would be with him (Judges 6:14
,16).
Gideon’s Failure
Gideon was a man full of excuses and doubts. At first, Gideon offered excuses saying he was from the smallest tribe of Israel, his clan was the weakest, and he was the weakest of his clan.
Although the angel reassured Gideon, Gideon doubted God’s faithfulness. He complained about God’s treatment of the Israelites, saying God had forsaken the Israelites.
Despite the angel’s reassurances, Gideon didn’t believe the angel was from God. Gideon asked to provide a sacrifice. When the angel caused a fire to consume the sacrifice, Gideon finally believed the angel was from God.
Gideon still didn’t believe God was calling him, so he asked the angel for a sign. The sign was a confirmation of God’s call. We know the story. Gideon laid out a fleece asking for dew to be only on the fleece and the ground to be dry. The dew was on the fleece the next morning, but the ground was dry.
Still not convinced, Gideon asked for a second sign. This time, he asked for the fleece to be dry and the ground to be covered with dew. The next morning, the fleece was dry, and the ground was wet with dew.
After this second test, Gideon was finally convinced the angel was who he said he was, and God’s call on him to save the Israelites was real.
Gideon’s Success
Gideon raised an army of 32,000 men to take on the 135,000 soldiers of the Midianite army. However, God reduced Gideon’s army to only 300 men, so the Israelites would know their victory was because of the Lord.
The night before the big battle, Gideon surveyed the Midianite army and worshipped the Lord. Gideon returned to his army and gave them battle instructions. During the night, the Israelites attacked the Midianites.
The minuscule Israelite army defeated the Midianites that night. After the battle, the Israelites begged Gideon to become their leader. Gideon refused to be their ruler, proclaiming, “the Lord will rule over you” (Judges 8:23).
As long as Gideon was alive, the people of Israel followed God. They had peace, and they prospered.
5 Lessons from Gideon
Gideon’s story teaches us several truths relevant to you and me today.
1) God calls the weak. Gideon thought of himself as the weakest man, in the weakest family, of the weakest tribe in Israel. God doesn’t always call the strongest, most educated, most charismatic person. Sometimes, God calls the humble, ordinary person just trying to get by. Sometimes, God calls someone just like you and me.
2) God sees who we are. God referred to Gideon as a “mighty man of valor” before Gideon had done anything. God doesn’t see us the way the world sees us. God calls us based on the potential He sees in us.
3) God understands our fears. Gideon’s first reaction to God’s call on his life was to offer excuses. Then he asked, “why me?” Next, Gideon insisted on receiving signs to be sure it was God calling him. God knows we have doubts and fears about what He is asking us to do for the Kingdom. We can and should confirm our understanding of God’s call through prayer and by seeking the wisdom of discerning brothers and sisters.
4) God equips those He calls. God gave Gideon a battle plan and filled Gideon with the power of the Holy Spirit to go with him in battle. As believers, we already have the power of the Holy Spirit, and God will equip us for whatever work He has called us to do.
5) Gideon trusted God. It took convincing that God was calling him to lead the people of Israel. But once he accepted God’s call on his life, Gideon trusted God. Gideon believed God would give them victory even after God reduced the size of their army. Gideon’s faith conquered his fears and doubts.
Ultimately, Gideon’s failure was not believing God could or would use him in a mighty way. However, God saw Gideon’s heart and knew of his potential. Gideon’s success came once he realized God’s call was real, and he put his faith and trust in God.
Gideon went from an insecure doubter to a powerful leader. Gideon’s success was on the other side of his failure!
Join the Conversation
As always, questions and comments are welcome. Which of the five lessons from Gideon’s story resonate the most with you? What great thing has God called you to do for the Kingdom?
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Category: Skills | Leadership Development
