Wanted: Downtrodden, Burdened and Weary
Mwemba Mwemba
Midland SDA Church
January 24, 2015
Opening Hymn: 538 (Guide me, o Thou Great Jehovah)
Closing Hymn: 567(Have Thine Own Way, Lord)
Memory Text: Judges 6:15-16
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Introduction: Good morning and Happy Sabbath. A story is told that in 1914 Ernest Shackleton had placed the following advert in a local newspaper before the expedition to the Antarctic regions: "Men wanted for a hazardous journey. Small wages, bitter cold. Long months of complete darkness. Constant danger, safe return doubtful. Honor and recognition in case of success." He received more than 5,000 applications, many of them, no doubt, from men perhaps experiencing their own form of midlife crisis. In response to this ad, 28 of them were selected and offered the job.
Today most of us would not respond to such an ad, but we find ourselves on a hazardous and bitter cold journey in what seems to be Long months of complete darkness; due to the challenges this life has. This journey might be in our relationships, in our employment, in our marriages and frankly there does not seem to be a way out. You’ve been praying about it, for so long and you feel exhausted, downtrodden, perhaps even paralyzed with fear and the uncertainty about your future that you’ve lost all confidence and self esteem.
This morning, I thought we would remind ourselves that God has an advert in the Bible: He is looking for you and me - those of us who feel downtrodden, burdened and weary and frankly are unsure about the future because of the problems we are going through.
Prayer: Lets us pray together……..
· If you’ve stayed in a hotel room, you may have noticed the Gideon’s Bible. Today I thought we look at the life of Gideon…not the one who wrote all the Bibles in the hotel rooms, but the one in the book of Judges….chapter 6 – 8.
· Bible suggests he was a farmer, no political or military ambition?
· Life story is not mentioned in the Bible until now.
· Paraphrase story of Gideon:
o For 7 years the children of Israel going through tough times. – disobedient to God
o Being attacked – they knew who the enemy was. For so long they were paralyzed with fear and hid in the mountains and caves, away from the enemy - Children of Israel went into hiding….imagine for 7 years living in hiding.
§ Like us…at times we know who and where the enemy is, and we too are at times weak to fight and have given up....we may not be in hiding physically, but we go into hiding mentally…we feel defeated by the problem and challenges we are going through.
o Chapter 6: 3 – 6: 3 whenever the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples invaded the country. 4 They camped on the land and ruined the crops all the way to Gaza and did not spare a living thing for Israel, neither sheep nor cattle nor donkeys. 5 They came up with their livestock and their tents like swarms of locusts. It was impossible to count them or their camels; they invaded the land to ravage it. 6 Midian so impoverished the Israelites that they cried out to the Lord for help.
§ For most of us here, we work so hard….as farmers, in our jobs, marriages, to raise children, grandchildren, have worked hard to make friends and love folks perhaps even in this church….after all this hard work, the enemy attacks…to ravage it all.
§ We continue to get hurt and it’s been for so long (7 years it was for Israel).
§ Only after so long did the Israelites call on God; God reminds us NOT to wait to call on Him after we hit rock bottom. Call on Him early and in every situation.
§ For the children of Israel they got run-over by the enemy. They say sometimes when it rains, it pours. There are times when we get hit with one problem, and even before we have time to think about it, we get hit by another and another. We too at times get run-over by the enemy
o Even in this situation Gideon wanted to provide what he could for his family –threshing wheat in the wine press to keep it away from the midianites. [Explain this]
o Judges 6: 12 – 17: 12 When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” 13 “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.” 14 The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?”15 “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” 16 The Lord answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.” 17 Gideon replied, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign that it is really you talking to me.
§ Gideon doubts that God is the one really giving him instructions; he doubts that God can still work through him – perhaps we are at that point too; we feel God can no longer help us overcome our problems….we are downtrodden and feel hopeless. We feel God cannot save us, because we’ve walked away from him for so long or have committed what we think is a grave sin we don’t deserve his GRACE.
§ We also often times blame God or others for the challenges we are going through; may I encourage us to first look within and to confess if we are in error.
§ Sometimes we want a sign from God …a real sign – Gideon challenged God for a sign; how often we do that also instead of just trusting him.
§ God promised Gideon he would be with him; even give him strength; God promised us the same, yet we still doubt him; still fear and make excuses- all we see is the situation we are in, our limitations and weaknesses. We never think God can do it for us. If you think he cannot see you through, listen to HIS promise through Isaiah.
· Isaiah 43:2-God says “When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown! When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior."
o Gideon finally was able to mobilize men to fight the Midianites…32, 000 of them.
o Judges 7: 2 - 2 The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many men. I cannot deliver Midian into their hands, or Israel would boast against me, that ‘My own strength has saved me.’ 3 Now announce to the army, ‘Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.’” So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained. 4 But the Lord said to Gideon, “There are still too many men. Take them down to the water, and I will thin them out for you there. If I say, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go; but if I say, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.”5 So Gideon took the men down to the water. There the Lord told him, “Separate those who lap the water with their tongues as a dog laps from those who kneel down to drink.” 6 Three hundred of them drank from cupped hands, lapping like dogs. All the rest got down on their knees to drink. 7 The Lord said to Gideon, “With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands. Let all the others go home.”
§ Sometimes you and I have too many possible solutions to our problems…..counselors, physiologists….we’ve shared our situation with too many friends in hopes that one of them will help resolve it for us….the danger of self-sufficiency; someone said we try to help God help us.
§ God ALONE wants to help – so that no one not even ourselves will boast about it.
§ All the Glory belongs to God – God ALONE.
o Judges 7: 12 - 12 The Midianites, the Amalekites and all the other eastern peoples had settled in the valley, thick as locusts. Their camels could no more be counted than the sand on the seashore. You may be wondering how does an army of 300 men win a war against so many on the enemy’s side?
o Judges 7:16-22: 16 Dividing the three hundred men into three companies, he placed trumpets and empty jars in the hands of all of them, with torches inside. 17 “Watch me,” he told them. “Follow my lead. When I get to the edge of the camp, do exactly as I do. 18 When I and all who are with me blow our trumpets, then from all around the camp blow yours and shout, ‘For the Lord and for Gideon.’”19 Gideon and the hundred men with him reached the edge of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, just after they had changed the guard. They blew their trumpets and broke the jars that were in their hands. 20 The three companies blew the trumpets and smashed the jars. Grasping the torches in their left hands and holding in their right hands the trumpets they were to blow, they shouted, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” 21 While each man held his position around the camp, all the Midianites ran, crying out as they fled.22 When the three hundred trumpets sounded, the Lord caused the enemy throughout the camp to turn on each other with their swords.
§ God is looking for Gideons…..in you and me.
§ Those who think they are below Below average, Downtrodden, Burdened and Weary of the challenges they are going through.
§ He will help you overcome your challenges, no matter how big you think they are…seek God with patience and trust him.
Lessons – [ Life of Gideon has some valuable lessons we can draw. 4 simple yet powerful were apparent for me and I thought I’d share with you]
1. Whatever we are going through, collectively or individually – God will resolve it or give us strength to get through it. Some of our challenges make our situation seem hopeless and frankly for some it’s been that way for so long. We’ve been looking for creative ways to get resolution on our own [similar to threshing wheat in a wine press for Gideon]; God may be showing us a way out, but we are not listening…..too caught up in our situation and looking only at our weaknesses.
a. We may be desperately praying for loved one who has walked away from God- We’re trying to fix it on our own and in our own time.
b. We may even be looking to restore a broken relationship; someone hurt us, and we can’t get past it or perhaps we hurt someone and they won’t forgive us. We are trying to fix it our way and in our own time.
c. For some of us, we pray God will provide a better supervisor at work yet still for others it may be the need for a little assurance that God will help pay this month’s bills, but we are trying to do so by might and not by faith.
d. Whatever we are going through God says to seek him and to trust him for strength and He will see us through- On his watch not our watch.
e. Gideon thought he could win the war with 32, 000 men, God won the war for the Israelites with 300 men instead.
f. Gideon thought he could win the war using guns perhaps swords and spears, but God won the war using trumpets and lamps.
g. Here is some assurance – God says 8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts
2. God sees more than we see in ourselves. Some of us think we are ‘no-body’s and worthless. When we are going through problems, there comes a time when we feel downtrodden, burdened and tired. God on the other hand sees respected, unburdened, energetic individuals. In Gideon a farmer, God saw a warrior. Gideon and the children of Israel upset God. You and I may have done what is not pleasing to God – and feel worthless, but God sees you as His child, a friend he can count on. He also thinks you are His masterpiece; one never to be separated from His love. That’s why he promises to see us through, but we have to seek him and trust him. You may be going through what seems to be a dark period in your life, but here is the assurance in Psalms 30: 5 5 For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning
3. God is patient with our faith process. Sometimes we doubt God’s presence and ability to see us though. Gideon asked God for a sign and even questioned where he was when things were that bad. We live in a sinful world and we are sinners and God knows that. We will face challenges; some may seem more difficult than others. We may even question God’s existence or apparent lack of help. There was fear in Gideon and I am sure the future looks uncertain for you and me and we may question God and ask Him to show us a sign of assurance that he will be with us. We may even think there is no way God can use us to turn our hopeless situation around. Seeking God and trusting him is a process….Here is God’s assurance through Jeremiah 29:13 13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. God also assures us; I will never leave you nor forsake you.
4. As humans we have the ‘hero’ mentality. We want others to know we are good at what we do. We want recognition. Lesson here is that we need to recognize that Success is on God’s terms and in His Power not ours – He alone gets the credit. We just read that God used 300 men to win a war that Gideon thought could not humanly be done; God did it to exalt Himself. Jesus said it well “What is impossible with men is possible with God”. Accomplishing God's purposes is NOT determined by our IQ, the number of friends we have or who we have consulted not by our finances or even lack of finances. Not even determined by how good our plans are. The truth is God is looking to glorify Himself on earth through men and women who are fully dependent on Him.
Conclusion: If you missed most of what we talked about this morning, may I ask you to hear this: For those of us that feel beat, downtrodden and overwhelmed with the problems we are going through, I would like to encourage you that God is looking to glorify Himself through you. Your challenges are unique and special to God. I encourage you to seek him and to trust him; He is calling softly and tenderly, for men and women like you.
A story is told of a man who got shipwrecked and ended up on a deserted island…….built himself a hut to live in. Every day he would watch for some sign of a ship or airplane passing by. He prayed to God for help. Some days he would get discouraged and wonder if he would ever get off that island, but still ... he prayed
One day he was on the other end of the island and noticed some smoke coming from the direction of his hut. He ran as fast as he could back to the hut and then he realized that his fears had come true. His hut and all his belongings were destroyed by a fire. All that was left was the smoke and rubble of it all.
He asked God why this had to happen. He did not understand. Soon he would find out. Later that day a ship appeared on the horizon and soon landed on the island and rescued him. They told him that they were plotting a distinct course and noticed smoke off in the distance and thought the smoke was a signal for help.
He then realized it was a sign for the much needed help and it was a sign from God that He was still in control and He would not forsake His beloved child even if there was a doubt in him.
Friends, let me encourage you: Each of our lives is a story and God is the author. The thing is He already wrote the end of our life story, even before our lives began; good news is that in the end we are victorious through Christ Jesus. MAY GOD LOOK WITH FAVOR ON US AND ADD A BLESSING TO YOUR PERSONAL LIFE STORY….…AMEN