The Right Lens

Sometimes the hardest things we go through are for our good. But the only way to see this is through the right lens. ~GB

Hi friend, welcome back to another post.

First of all, let me apologize for the break. In full transparency, a lot of things have been happening and I wasn’t able resolve some of the issues quickly including the site.

In spite of all this, the Lord has still been teaching me some important lessons. So in light of this, todays devotional is a short but personal one.

Last week, I read through the story of Gideon as part of my homework for my Bible Study class at church. Even though I’ve read through this story several times, this time 3 things stood out to me. Please allow me to share with you

Look at the way Gideon was approached by the angel of God. Look at verse 12 of Judges chapter 6. “And the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, “The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor.” Judges‬ ‭6:12‬ ‭ESV‬‬ 1. God sees you as a precious gem in spite of your self view

Gideon was called a mighty man of valor. However, because of the difficult circumstances surrounding his life, he could see himself as that. And instead of accepting the compliment, his response was negative.

“And Gideon said to him, “Please, my Lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our fathers recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has forsaken us and given us into the hand of Midian.” Judges‬ ‭6:13‬ ‭ESV‬‬

News flash, God doesn’t see you the way you see yourself. The last few months may have been crazy-busy, tiring, perhaps even exciting or something else. But regardless of the outcome, don’t forget to see yourself in light of Christ.

2. God sees the bigger picture

A lot of times our perception of who we are is dictated by the outcome of our present/past circumstances.

In other words, if the outcome is in our favor, then we think we’re doing well. We get an inflated view of ourselves. However, if the outcome is the opposite of what we hoped for, then we tend to see ourselves as failures

In Gideon’s case, the Children of Israel has just faced defeat at the hands of the Midianites. Thus, Gideon saw himself as a failure due to the outcome of the battle.

What He failed to see was that God could see the bigger picture.

Friend, what are you discouraged about today? God sees and he knows. Everything is going to work out right, if you trust Him.

3. God is patient and kind towards our poor self mentality

Inspire of the fact that God instructed Gideon to go and fight the Midianites and that He would be with Him, Gideon refused to believe. Instead, he responded with a question of doubt. “And he said to him, “Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.” Judges‬ ‭6:15‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Now before Gideon gets a bad name, insert yourself into this story. How many times have you acted the same way towards God?

How many times have you doubted, questioned or complained about something God promised you?

Conclusion

You see, we’re no different; but thank God for His patience and kindness towards us like He had towards Gideon. If you continue to read (Vs 17-23), you’ll see that Gideon had to prove the Word of the Lord several times before he believed.

The best part of this story is that God remained patient and kind to Gideon through the end (see Judges 6:23)

Personally, I’m seeing all three of these points in my life. I hope and pray you do as well.

Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father, thank for the reminder about who you are and what you can do. Please forgive me for the times I’ve discredited myself, doubted You and Your promises. Please help me to have the right view of who You are. In Jesus name. Amen

Stay Blessed

❤