“When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he bowed in worship before the Lord.” Judges 7:15
Gideon’s FAITH became bigger than his fear!
Why did Gideon fall to his knees in worship?
Gideon was overwhelmed in the Awe of God…
“Oh God, I am overwhelmed how amazingly incredible You are and how loved I feel right now! You knew I was still afraid and You gave me the courage to face my fear and come down into the enemy camp. You brought me right here, right now, to hear these words! Your timing is incredible! Your love for me brings me to my knees!
Gideon was humbled and surrendered…
“God, from the moment You called me out of the winepress You have promised You would win this battle. You promised victory that would show Your glory. Forgive me for my fear, my doubt, that kept me looking at this battle from my own perspective and relying on my own understanding. I am undone by the ways You have shown Yourself to me, I humbly bow before You in full surrender to Your will.”
Gideon was encouraged…
“Oh Lord, these words from the enemy prove to me You are the God of the impossible! If You are able to give a dream to one of the enemy soldiers, give the interpretation to another, just in time for me to hear… I choose to put my faith, my trust, in You alone! God, I choose to take my eyes off myself and of my ways, and I look to You with great expectation to see how You will fight this battle!”
Gideon was ready to receive God’s strategy…
“Lord, I have no idea of how we can win this battle, I have no battle plan to fight against these odds. But Your ways are so much higher than my ways, and Your thoughts are so much greater than mine. You have just proved Yourself to me that You are for me and though I don’t know what to do, my eyes are on You!”
Bowing in worship took Gideon from the fear of his problem to the fear of God.
What brings you to your knees?
Sometimes the greatest battle is the battle between the worship of your problem and the worship of God…
How often have you found yourself “worshipping” your problem by the priority you give it in your thoughts and actions? You can allow your problems to become bigger than God in the ways you become consumed with thinking about a solution, worrying about the outcome, and becoming anxious about how it is affecting you.
Thoughts, worry, and anxiety show themselves in words and actions that give the enemy ammunition to use against you. As long as you worship your problem; as long as your PROBLEM is bigger than your faith, you won’t bow in worship of God, you won’t receive the courage to fight the battle, and you won’t experience the victory God promises you.
Worship of God is the evidence of faith, trusting in God alone…
Worship and faith please God, for He is worthy of all your praise, you were made to worship Him, and He is pleased by those who walk by faith, not by sight!
Worship and Faith work together…one inspires the other.
Sometimes stepping out in Faith brings an incredible answer to prayer that brings you to your knees in Worship!
And sometimes you need to fall to your knees in Worship in order to step out in faith and see the incredible answer to your prayer!
Gideon’s worship experience is an example of both;
He was brought to his knees by God’s incredible timing of such a powerful promise to him through the words of the enemy.
Bowing down in awe of God right there in the enemy camp brought Gideon great courage to get up in the strength and the power of the Lord to ready his men for battle.
To bow down in worship in response to the wonder of God is one thing, but to bow down in worship before you know the battle plan, before you begin to fight, and before you experience the victory is another story!
It goes against everything your flesh wants to do…but there is power in praise and it pleases God!
“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6
“Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” Matthew 15:28
Worship and Faith makes the difference whether you experience the harm the enemy means or whether you receive the good that God intends.
Bowing in Worship of God causes Faith to rise within, humbles you to see your problem through God’s perspective, and causes you to get up with renewed courage and strength to live differently!
Gideon still faced a valley filled with enemy soldiers. He still had a battle to fight with only 300 men. But he was different. Gideon became the “Mighty Warrior” God called him from the very beginning!
God proved Himself to Gideon and Gideon chose to believe God.
The Israelites were caught up in living as the nations around them. As long as they lived according to the ways of the world no one could see the glory of God, no one could see the miracles and wonders God had done in the past. They were living within the abilities and the customs of the flesh. But God says that His children have been created to live victorious, and to bring Him glory! God desired that the surrounding nations saw how great the Israelite’s God was! And this is still God’s desire, that His people live lives that reveal how great He is!
So, if you want to live differently, try something different.
No matter where you find yourself…
Whether you are in a season where there are no problems and your faith is strong, whether there is a problem on the horizon just beginning to grow bigger and bigger with every passing day, taunting you to fear, or whether you have allowed your problem to become bigger than your faith and are fully consumed with worry and anxiety…
I encourage you to bow down in worship, and be reminded that whatever season you are in you were made to worship!
“Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:4-7
This simple, but profound song, often goes through my mind. It’s a good reminder that no matter what I’m going through, Jesus loves me, and because of that…
I will choose to bow in worship!
Jesus, Lover of my soul,
Jesus, I will never let you go
You’ ve taken me from the miry clay
You’ve set my feet upon the Rock, and now I know
I love you, I need you,
Though my world may fall, I’ ll never let you go
My Saviour, my closest friend,
I will worship you until the very end. (Hillsong)