Jimbo's Jots

It wasn’t a “PROVE IT!!” moment. I do not think it should not be read that way. Some people may see it that way.

But here was poor Gideon – from the tribe of Manasseh, Israel’s smallest tribe, even the weakest in his family. Maybe the unpopular kid at his school. As we’re introduced to Gideon in Judges 6, he is threshing wheat in a wine press. That seems a bit odd, doesn’t it? Given the circumstances, not odd at all. The Israelites were under Midianite oppression because of their sins against God. So, Gideon, in order to protect what is theirs, is found harvesting wheat grain in a winepress so as to not stir up the chaff.

The angel of God calls Gideon out and says he will lead Israel to victory. That’s when Gideon decides to make sure the promise of God was truly with him. It involved a piece of fleece cloth. Gideon asked God to soak it with dew and leave the ground dry. Sure enough! Gideon wakes the next morning and wrings the fleece out to fill a bowl. One more time, Gideon takes the fleece again and asks God to soak the ground and leave the fleece dry. Wouldn’t you know God did it?

She talked to me about some of the challenges she faces each and every day. Dealing with mental struggles and anxiety can feel pretty oppressive. For her, though, she is a firm believer in the work of God in her life. To hear her talk, “He has shown Himself to be faithful.” So, when she brought up the next challenge she was facing, I brought up the Gideon story. I told her that I wondered if this was a fleece moment for her. She thought about that for a bit . . . and she may be thinking still on it as we will not have another session for a couple of weeks.

Fleece moments are moments when God has already shown up but for some reason, we just need some verification. We are people who need reassurance. So, even though we know and are convinced the promises of God to be true and that he has shown himself to be faithful time and time again, we may have a fleece moment. God bless our fleece moments!

Be blessed in those fleece moments! Be a blessing to others in their fleece moments!