What if the main object in God’s idea of prayer be the supplying of our great, our endless need – the need of himself?– George MacDonald
Again, Israel is oppressed because of their sin. When they cry out to God, God raises up a man named Gideon. Note:
If the soul of the believer is in a healthy condition, he will take occasion to frequently come into God’s presence on purpose to have communion with him.– A. W. Pink
(6) How does Gideon respond to God’s call for him to save Israel v15)? When have you felt this way?
What assurance does God give Gideon (v16)? Why does this assurance make all the difference?
(6) God tells Gideon to tear down the altar to Baal. When does he do it, and what does that tell you about Gideon?
Can you identify with Gideon? When are we tempted to hide our good deeds or our relationship with God?
(6) Gideon calls an army together, and then seeks another sign. What does this tell you about his faith?
Should we lay out fleeces before the Lord?
(7) How does God whittle Gideon’s army down to 300 men? Why?
When are we tempted to boast in ourselves instead of God?
(7) Gideon’s army surrounds the enemy, but again Gideon is afraid. What does God do to give him courage?
How can we find courage from God to overcome our fears?
(7-8) How does God defeat the Midianites? When have you seen God bring victory using your weaknesses?
(8) The people want to make Gideon a king. How does he respond? Why are we prone to look to men instead of God?
What does Gideon ask for and receive? Why is this a problem?
Later Gideon names one of his sons Abimelech which means “my father is king.” What does this suggest? Why are we so tempted to rule over others?
In summary, what major lessons can we learn from Gideon’s life?
Consider Christ our Savior Head
He leads us for our good
We follow Him raised from the dead
Obey Him as we should
Consider Jesus and His love
His life for us He gave
To cleanse and present us above
The Bride He came to save
He loves and feeds and nourishes
In Him we’re satisfied
He cares for us and cherishes
Now in His love abide
Consider Christ – with Him we’re one
To Him we do belong
In all of life – cling to the Son
And turn from all that’s wrong
(To the tune of “O God Our Help In Ages Past”)
In How Can I Cultivate Private Prayer, Joel Beeke’s third way to take hold of yourself is to speak with sincerity in prayer. He notes Psalm 62:8 which calls for us to pour out our heart to God. We cannot just mouth words; the heart, indeed our whole being, is to be involved.
Beeke expands on this thought by quoting Thomas Brooks:
God looks not at the elegancy of your prayers, to see how neat they are; nor yet at the geometry of your prayers to see how long they are; nor yet at the arithmetic of your prayers, to see how many they are; nor yet at the music of your prayers, nor yet at the sweetness of your voice, nor yet at the logic of your prayers; but at the sincerity of your prayers, how hearty they are.
So how hearty are my prayers? Am I simply mouthing requests without feeling? Going through the motions of praying through my prayer list?
Or am I crying out to God for help? Am I groaning for his intervention? Pleading for his grace and mercy? Rejoicing in his blessings?
Where is my heart? And where is yours?
When God intends great mercy for his people, the first thing he does is to set them a praying.– Matthew Henry
The more a person loves, the closer– Martin Luther
Christ loves His church – His life he gave
He died upon the tree
To cleanse us from our sin – to save
And present us holy
The husband now should love his wife
Love sacrificially
And for her good now give his life
Her best seeking daily
His wife the husband nourishes
And for her needs provides
He cares for her and cherishes
His wife close by his side
With Christ his model to follow
And his sins washed away
He strives our Lord’s great love to show
With Christ’s power each day
In ev’ry marriage there is sin
Selfish and hideous
But Christ can take what is broken
And make it glorious
He calls us to humility
Each husband and each wife
Deny ourselves for His glory
And become more like Christ
(To the tune of “We Sing the Greatness of Our God”)
The more satisfaction and delight we find in His love, the more we delight in loving others.– Donald Whitney in Ten Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health
