Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“Then Gideon said to God, ‘In order to see whether you will deliver Israel by my hand, as you have said, I am going to lay a fleece of wool on the threshing floor; if there is dew on the fleece alone, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that you will deliver Israel by my hand, as you have said.’ And it was so.”
NL Daily Devotion for Thursday, October 15, 2020
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
Gideon was kind of cheeky, don’t you think? I mean, I’ve always been taught that you don’t test God. (Jesus even said this to Satan in the wilderness!) I’m deeply suspicious of the idea that God will make it perfectly clear what action I’m supposed to take based on some demand for a sign. Far more often, I find God’s guidance comes piecemeal, through the words and actions of others, through the trial and error of doing exactly the wrong thing. In fact, many times in my life I’ve made a decision thinking it was completely obvious that it was God’s will for me, only to find out that maybe it was my will and I was just hoping it agreed with God’s.
Still, without the request for a miracle, I think it is entirely appropriate to ask God for guidance. To ask for encouragement to make the right decision, for the willingness to see and hear clearly the signs that point in the right direction, the openness to accept that what I want might not be what’s best for me in the long run. When I do this, I find that God does speak, and I can move forward in trust that even if it’s the wrong decision, God will be there to catch me when I trip up.
Gracious God, open my mind and heart to hear your guidance for my life. Amen.
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