I’m a worrier. By that I mean that I find it easy to slip into worry, to get caught up in thinking about the dangers of things, to fret about how someone might respond, or to just be stuck in thoughts of my potential failure. But I’ve learned that I can’t let fear or worry consume me. This fear can be crippling and if I’m not careful it will spread to other areas of my life, and ultimately leave me unable to fulfill the role God has for me in life.
As I look at my life I see that I don’t really have anything to worry about. If there was ever someone who had a right to worry it was a guy we read about in the book of Judges named Gideon.
The Story
Gideon lived in Israel after the nation had been established in the promised land but before they had their first king. During this time Israel was constantly in and out of trouble with other nations because it wasn’t faithful to God (Read more on this in Judges 1-5).
One day while Gideon was threshing wheat, trying to keep it hidden from the Midianites (the nation oppressing Israel at this time), “the angel of the LORD” appeared to him.
God wanted Gideon to lead His people to deliverance from the captivity of the Midianites. This would be a huge responsibility and Gideon wasn’t sure he was up to the challenge.
After the Angel of the LORD assured him that He would be with him, Gideon brought a meal to the Angel of the LORD, and the angel gave Gideon instructions for the meal to be given as an offering to God.
When the angel set the offering on fire with the tip of his staff Gideon was overwhelmed. It seems that he thought he would die.
“And the LORD said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die.” Judges 6:23
This must have been a huge comfort to Gideon, the passage goes on to say:
“Then Gideon built an altar there unto the Lord, and called it Jehovah-shalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abi-ezrites.” Judges 6:24
Jehovah Shalom
This is one of the names of God that isn’t translated into English for us in the Bible. It is a compound word in Hebrew, made up of the word translated “LORD” or “Jehovah” elsewhere (see my previous article on this name of God) and the Hebrew word “shalom”.
The word Shalom generally means “peace” or “well-being, health, and prosperity” W. W. Wiersbe,
While we aren’t given a translation of this combination in English, there are a few options that bible scholars have given for our benefit: “The Lord is peace.”1 – Warren Wiersbe, “the Lord, our peace2” – Roy Gingrich, “The Lord is my peace, or The peace of Jehovah” – Adam Clark.
Though the wording changes from one attempt to another one thing remains consistent through them all: The LORD is PEACE, the connection can’t be ignored.
Application
Prayer is the most potent source of the Peace of God.
“6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6–7
The idea behind the word “careful” is anxiousness or worry. We aren’t to be worried or anxious about anything. But we should be sure to pray about everything
Be careful for NOTHING
Gideon had a lot that he could have been worried about. Imagine the responsibility of leading a nation. Imagine the potential for horrible losses in battle. But he trusted in God.
He talked to God and asked God to give him a sign (the fleece see Judges 6:36-40), later God reassured Gideon of His plan by letting him hear about a dream one of the Midianites had (Judges 7:9-15).
Pray about EVERYTHING
We can ask God to teach us how to trust Him. The missionary Hudson Taylor, while studying medicine before his ministry in China, purposed to never ask for his pay. This would be a way to test his faith in God. If God couldn’t provide for him in his home country how could God provide for him in far off China?
Once, after Hudson Taylor had been impressed by God to give the last of his money to a poor family, he found himself praying again for his daily food and the rent money he owed his very gracious landlord. Out of the blue, a letter was delivered with money that met the needs. He was surely tempted to worry but God proved Himself faithful to Hudson Taylor over and over again and He will be faithful to you.
Prayer is the avenue of this trust, it is the plan for freedom from worry. We see three parts of this in Phil 4:6
Prayer – Talking to God
Supplication – Pleading with God
Thanksgiving – Thanking and praising God
Don’t be afraid to bring your requests to God or even to plead with Him for an answer. Then don’t forget to praise Him for the answers to prayer you see and for the peace that He gives.
Studying and Application:
- What are some of the greatest areas of worry or concern in your life? How can you pray about these?
- Read and compare Colossians 3:15 with Philippians 4:6-7. What relationship should believers have with the “peace of God”?
- Review your prayer list. Take a minute to add any new requests now.
1 Warren Wiersbe, Be Available 2. “Does God Know What He’s Doing?” (Jdg. 6:14–24)
2 Roy Gingrich, The Books of Judges & Ruth E. The Judgeship of Gideon (Chapters 6–8)
