Writers—Mighty Heroes?

 

By Maureen Miller

 

“You need to be brave, like Gideon,” God said.

 

“Who… me?” I replied, then busied myself. Maybe He’ll go away.

 

But no. He repeated, “Be like Gideon.”

 

He’s serious. Still, I argued, “But, Father, I’m not courageous like Gideon. I’m more like—”

 

“Gideon,” God interrupted. “Remember, he wasn’t always brave. He considered himself the least of the least, but he was obedient—trusting the angel of the Lord. What did that take?”

 

“Courage?” I mumbled, then read about him.

 

There it was. Gideon, son of Joash, hiding from the Israelites’ enemy when the angel of the Lord proclaimed, “Mighty hero, the Lord is with you” (Judges 6:12 NLT).

 

Mighty hero? But that’s what the angel said before Gideon demonstrated a single valiant act.

 

“But … how am I supposed to be courageous?”

 

God answered my question with a question. “What did the prophet responding to the Israelites’ prayer do?”

 

What did he do?

 

I read more. Seems he reminded them how God showed up in the past, then offered an exhortation: “I brought you up out of slavery in Egypt. I rescued you from the Egyptians and from all who oppressed you. I drove out your enemies and gave you their land. I told you, ‘I am the Lord your God. You must not worship the gods of the Amorites’ … But you have not listened” (6:8-10a).

 

Ouch! So finally I said, “Father, forgive me if I’ve failed to steward my gift in a manner that glorifies You and benefits others. You’ve called me to write, but sometimes I’m… afraid.”

 

Boy, wasn’t that the truth. Questions like, What if I make people angry? or What if some don’t agree with me? swirled in my mind, but then—

 

“What matters most is whether I’m pleased. I’ve given you a story, fully equipping you to tell it.”

 

***

 

This call to courage came nearly two decades ago, and I’m sorry to say, I wasn’t always faithful—failing to put words on the page. Failing to be brave. But in His mercy, God reminded me of all He’d done—how He’d brought me through years of infertility, promising me through His Word that He’d use my story to encourage others. And yes, that I would one day be a mom.

 

He also reminded me of the love I have for our three children’s birth moms—how they’re honored because they chose life for their babies. And He reminded me of truth discovered in Psalm 139: “You made the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous.” (vs. 13-14 NLT).

 

But besides these reminders, God also convicted me of sin, just as He did for Gideon.

 

Sometimes He’d say, “You’re putting others in higher priority, caring more what they think of you than what I think. Return to me, and find rest.”

 

Isn’t God good? Even when He convicts us, He does so with mercy and grace, with love leading to repentance.

 

It took many years from when God first called me to be courageous until I finally began writing Gideon’s Book. This story introduces themes that aren’t merely controversial but prove consequential, perhaps even life-saving.

 

It’s my hope that Gideon’s Book will stir healthy conversation about challenging topics. Topics like racial reconciliation and abortion. Mostly, I pray it points readers to acknowledge God’s redemptive character and the guiding power of His Word.

 

As a writer, I still don’t feel brave. Do you? But God has given us stones of remembrance, depicting His constant presence in our lives. Yes, He’s given us a story and calls us to be courageous. Can you hear Him? “Mighty hero, the Lord is with you!”

 

And that, dear friends—no matter what we’re called to write—is always enough.

 

Will you answer the call?

 

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. She is the author of Gideon’s Book.