Dave Dishman

I was driving down the interstate in Kansas when my gas light pinged. The warning sent me into rapid calculations. How many miles left in the tank, and how far was the next service station? My reckoning fueled my worry. Not until I spotted the next exit did I relax, and finally coasted up to the pumps with relief. My lack of attention to the gas gauge almost cost me a long walk across the prairie.

The Lord presented Gideon with cause to worry. Leading the Israelites against a vast and powerful enemy, the Lord pared Gideon’s army down from thousands to only 300 men. God told Gideon, The people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast over me, saying, “My own hand has saved me.“

To ease Gideon’s worry, God gave a boost of morale. The Lord directed Gideon to sneak into the enemy camp where he overheard a conversation between two soldiers. The first said, “I dreamed a dream, and behold, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian and came to the tent and struck it so that it fell and turned it upside down, so that the tent lay flat.” And his comrade answered, “This is no other than the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel; God has given into his hand Midian and all the camp.”

Gideon’s response? As soon as Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, he worshiped.

Smack in the middle of the enemy encampment, a sneeze away from discovery, Gideon understood the future. His response? Reverence for God, relief, and joy expressed in heartfelt prayer. Gideon climbed out of the camp certain of liberation. He returned to his boys and made it rain.

At times I’m engulfed with problems, or surrounded by people opposed to my views, or weighted down with worry. I’m in the camp of my enemy. But the Lord stands in the midst. Whatever obstacles I face, I can still choose to believe God. Because he accomplishes his purposes with many or with few, I can take confidence and worship.

Judges 7:1-25

Photo by Sagar Kulkarni

Back in the day I sported hair down to my shoulders. Styles changed and I cut my locks, which I discovered much easier to manage. Today I’m just happy to have hair, even if it’s turned salt and pepper.

Samson grew hair like a cash crop. Never touched by a razor, he eventually revealed how his hair held the secret to his strength—and his devious lover cut it off. Samson’s headstrong habit of taking whatever woman he wanted backfired. Weakened, his enemies seized him, gouged out his eyes, and shackled him in prison.

The triumphant Philistines left Samson frail, humbled and blind. However, as Samson suffered, the hair on his head began to grow again.

I love the foreshadowing of this line. Hope looms on the horizon. Samson’s hair grew back and he revenged himself by collapsing a temple filled with Israel’s enemies. Did no one present wonder about his new luxurious head of hair?

At his death Samson humbly called upon the Lord. He looked not to his mane or to the power he felt once again coursing through his body. Instead, he turned to the Lord, the ultimate source of strength.

Like Samson, you and I can ask the Lord to empower his servants. Much like hair grows, the Lord often works unnoticed. Pray, trust and wait. But all the time keep checking—perhaps some fuzz is appearing?

Judges 16

Photo by Humphrey M

On bridges around the world, couples hang a padlock and then throw the key in the river to demonstrate their commitment to each other (I’ve seen this all over Europe). But in our day long-term commitment proves elusive. We move from job to job and even switch careers several times throughout life. Despite the locks, fewer people marry than years ago, and many marriages end sooner than expected. I decide to eat healthy, but the first plate of brownies I come across destroys that notion.

I often wait to commit. I like to keep my options open, thinking something better might come along. Or, I don’t want to lock in to a less than ideal situation. I assess the people I may be working with and decide if I want to give my time and energy to that team.

Ruth committed. A widow, she made an unorthodox decision to follow her mother-in-law Naomi back to Bethlehem. A locale Ruth had never seen, these were not her people or her lands or her customs. But she committed to Naomi and promised: Where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried.

Ruth’s pledge reflects God’s commitment to you and me. If we will have him, God will go where we go and lodge where we lodge. We become his people and he becomes our God.

Ruth’s story ended happily. In a lovely twist, generations later Jesus was born into her line. Good things come when we hang a padlock with the Lord and throw away the key. Like Ruth and Naomi, God blesses our lives if we choose to commit to him.

Ruth 1:16

Photo by Alberto Barrera

The early church in Jerusalem flourished. People sold possessions and shared with those in need. The apostles spoke daily, their teachings accompanied by wonders and signs from God. New followers of Jesus hung out, attended services together, and took turns hosting meals in each others homes. They received their food with glad and generous hearts.

Turns out this was a special time for the newly forming faith. Persecutions later scattered these believers across the Roman world. But in the beginning, converts flocked to this happy and openhanded community.

How to build such a group today? How to develop a church that engenders curiosity among those outside the walls? One place to start is to ask the Lord for glad and generous hearts.

Happiness and magnanimity mark those who follow the Lord. Life brings turmoil, and our hearts bear the burnt. But the Holy Spirit generates an power that melts hard feelings into delightful and unselfish sensibilities.

I know I can use a dose of compassion and cheerfulness. Let’s pray for a glad and generous heart. Perhaps others will notice and grow intrigued by the One who creates such hearts in the first place.

Acts 2:42-47

Photo by Luisa Brimble