Are You a Gideon?

 

By Maureen Miller

 

He was timid and weak. Afraid and insecure. 

 

That’s right. Listen to his doubt when the Angel of the Lord called him to defeat the enemy: O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house (Judges 6:15 NKJV).

 

To say Gideon was lowest on the figurative totem pole is an understatement. Yet what mattered most, even with all his shortcomings? He was obedient. And God didn’t hold it against him when Gideon asked for a sign—an “If … then” confirmation that he could count on God to come through (v. 17-18).

 

Guess what. He did.

 

I’ve had a similar conversation. “If this is from You, Lord, please show me. Only then will I move ahead. I need to know it’s Your idea first.” 

 

Just a bit of backstory (because remember—too much slows good fiction down). My soon-to-be released timeslip novel, Gideon’s Book, began with what I call a holy whisper. It was 2007 (That long ago? Yes, but that’s another story!). I heard God say, Write about a Gideon Bible by a bed.

 

A Bible by the bed? But that’s what He’d whispered. At that point in my writing life, I was telling mostly nonfiction stories, submitting to Christian publications and newspapers. But I sensed God moving me into unfamiliar territory. Yes, the unchartered waters of fiction.

 

That was scary, and I felt insecure. I doubted I could do it, questioning God’s nudge. I mean, creating fiction requires … well, creativity—the kind I lacked, or so I thought. But I’d been walking with God long enough to know. If He called, He’d equip. Still, I asked Him for a sign.

 

Not long after this initial whisper, I was scheduled to speak at a Christian Women’s Club event in Eden, NC. I’d served as a regional speaker for Stonecroft Ministries for some time, but this particular engagement was to be my last. With two little boys at home, and with the addition of a daughter my husband and I were hoping to adopt, I needed to lighten my work load. I explained to the women that I was stepping down from speaking to focus on my family, though I did not share with the group what I sensed God calling me to do.

 

As I gathered my things, an elderly woman approached. She smiled as she took my hand. “I just wanted to wish you well and thank you for obeying God’s call. There’s nothing better than obedience, even when we don’t understand or see what’s next.” She paused, then pressed something into my open palm. “Here, dear. I want you to have this. My husband is with Gideons International, and it’s always my joy to share God’s Word with those to whom He leads me.”

 

There in my hand was a small, blue, pocket-size New Testament. My gaze met hers. “You have no idea all this Gideon Bible means.”

 

And she didn’t. But Jocelyn Gordon didn’t need to. She’d simply heard God’s voice, and with that small act of obedience, confirmed God’s plan.

 

How about you, mighty writer? Have you heard His whisper? Write this. Pen that. And have you, like Gideon, asked for a sign? 

 

You may doubt, feeling less-than, insecure, or afraid, but I promise, your words are weapons in this broken, beat-down world where an enemy lurks.

 

No matter what God calls you to write—and no matter how long it takes—with His help, you, too, can be a Gideon.

 

Kind Father, please give us courage so we, too, can be Gideons in this world—to write the words and share the messages You give us, no matter how long it takes. And may they make a difference, bringing You glory today and always. Amen!

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦 on Unsplash

Maureen Miller—wife, mother of three, and Mosie to three—lives on Selah Farm, a hobby homestead nestled in the mountains of western North Carolina. With a passion for God’s Word, Maureen is an award-winning author and photographer, contributing as a guest blogger and to several online devotion sites, as well as to a variety of collaboratives. She prays to have eyes and ears open that she might experience God in the miracles of His created world and blogs weekly about what He has to say at www.penningpansies.com. Her debut novel is under contract with Redemption Press.