Have you ever asked God, “WHY is this happening?”

I have. I think we all have. It’s human nature to look at disappointing situations and wonder why the God who loves us and can change anything and everything he wishes, would allow these things to happen in our lives. God, why haven’t you changed this? In all this time, in all your ways, why has this suck continued to just suck?

Well here’s what I’m learning about God: When you ask God WHY something is happening, be prepared to be appointed to get involved.

Then, when God tells YOU to get involved, you’re going to have another question. Your next question is, “But God, why ME?” Did you ever stop to think maybe God chooses the ones to represent him in action because they’re the ones who cared enough to ask him why it’s happening?

Now, let’s see the questions play out in scripture. Judges chapter 6. Remember last week in episode #1912, “Season of Suck” we read of God’s people, the Israelites, who were under the oppression of their enemies the Midianites. Remember the Midianites were ruthless, stealing their crops and reducing God’s people to starvation. The Israelites are no longer living in their bountiful, overflowing Promised Land, they are hiding in on mountains in dark caves and in strongholds.

There, in their hiding, a young Israelite man is deep in a winepress threshing wheat. Let’s be clear, you don’t thresh wheat in a winepress. This young man was down in a hole, hiding his harvest so it too wouldn’t be taken by the enemy. He was likely desperate, hungry and fearful. He was doing what he could to survive. And there, in this place of hardship, he is called. Let’s read the story.

Judges 6: 11-16:

Gideon son of Joash was threshing wheat at the bottom of a winepress to hide the grain from the Midianites. The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, “Mighty hero, the Lord is with you!”

“Sir,” Gideon replied, “if the Lord is with us, WHY has all this happened to us? And where are all the miracles our ancestors told us about? Didn’t they say, ‘The Lord brought us up out of Egypt’? But now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to the Midianites.”

There’s the WHY. Why is this happening? Gideon has grown up hearing the great stories of God’s miraculous works for his people, but he hasn’t seen them. He’s been hiding in caves, starving for 7 years now. God hasn’t shown up and rescued them the way he expected.

And maybe that’s the way you feel right now. God hasn’t show up and done what you expected him to do. He didn’t stop this. He hasn’t changed this. You’ve heard stories of how he’s done it before, so why isn’t he doing it now? Why would a good God allow this hardship to continue?

That’s a fair question. But just know, asking God ‘why’ may involve your participation in his plan of changing it. Perhaps the one bold enough to ask why is also the one God can trust to be bold enough to do something.

Verse 14, “Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go with the strength you have and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you!”

This is a real ‘oh crap’ moment. Oh wait, I wasn’t complaining about this because I wanted to be the one to do something about it. God, I just wanted you to fix it. I wanted to get you involved. And God says, “Yes, I am involved, now I’m involving YOU.”

Have you ever complained to God about a situation and God made you go first. You didn’t want to go first. You wanted God to bring a holy conviction on the OTHER person, change THEIR heart and make THEM go first, but instead he told you to go first. He involved you. He sent you?!!!!!

Yes, sister. God has heard your prayers about this. Now he’s responding. You go first. You get involved. You cared enough to bring it to him, now he’s bringing you to it. Face this. Let God change this THROUGH you!

Now honestly, I would much rather God just change this FOR me. I prefer when God has someone else go first. I like to be the recipient instead of the participant. But there are entirely too many people WANTING changes and not WILLING to go first in the change.

Go with the strength you have and do it. I am sending you, God says. But what if you don’t feel strong? What if you don’t know what you’re doing? What if you prefer the place of being the noticer who just complains, not the noticer who gets involved? Nope, God says YOU go with the strength you HAVE.

Verse 15, “But Lord,” Gideon replied, “how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the whole tribe of Manaesseh, and I am the least in my entire family!”

Gideon is speaking the truth here. His family is part of a weak clan. They’re not warriors. They’re not trained. And of his entire family, he is the least. He’s likely the youngest, the one with the least influence or right to say anything. He knows no one would listen to him. He’s just a nobody.

Essentially, Gideon is saying, “God, you’ve got the wrong guy. I’m not it.” Whew, that sounds familiar. I’ve had that talk with God. Over 12 years after telling God I wasn’t his girl and there’s no way I could lead a daily devotional for more than 5 days, I’m still showing up every morning and writing devotionals. I thought I had a maximum of 5 in me … today is day #3,250.

That’s what happens when you tell God, “I’m not it.” He proves HE is it, THROUGH YOU.

No, Gideon, you are not a mighty warrior on your own, but with me, you will be.

No, Pamela, you can’t speak for me on your own, but with me, you can be my voice every morning.

And no, precious daughter of the King, you can not do this on your own, but with God, you’re going to!

Verse 16, The Lord said to him, “I will be with you. And you will destroy the Midianites as if you were fighting against one man.”

And that’s how it will happen. God will supernaturally strengthen you. God will miraculously equip you. God will divinely direct you.

NOW GO with THE STRENGTH YOU HAVE. You are being sent!

If you have strength to complain, then you have strength to praise. If you have strength to think about all the things that are wrong, you have strength to think about what could go right. If you have strength to get together a group of worriers, you have the strength to get together a group of believers. If you have strength to talk about the negative, then you have the strength to pray. If you have strength to walk, then you have strength to walk in a different direction. If you have strength to fight with someone, then you have strength to fight for someone.

You do have strength, now go with it. It’s you. You are being sent.

Whatever you’ve been complaining about, God is choosing you for. He wants to work through you to change things. He’s involving you. You are not dismissed. You’ve been hiding long enough.

We say, “God, it’s not me. I’m not the problem. I don’t know how to fix the problem. I’m not strong enough to change this. I’m not the one.”

To which God says, “GO IN THE STRENGTH YOU HAVE. I AM WITH YOU, AND THAT’S ENOUGH.”

It’s time to go with the strength you have and believe God is using you in this battle. The battle is not yours, it’s God’s. Don’t get all possessive. Stay humble here. But God is responding to your “Why” and he’s saying, “I’ve chosen you in this. Go with me.”

Where are you saying “It’s not me.” I’m not the problem. I’m not the one. I can’t do this. Hmmmm, it seems to me God is saying something different.

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