Judges 6
One of my favorite films is "October Sky." It's the true story of Homer Hickam, who grew up in the mining town of Coalwood, West Virginia during the 1950s. Everyone believed the sons of Coalwood were destined to be coal miners. The only exceptions were the lucky few who made it to college on a football scholarship. But young Homer had a different dream for his life. On an October night in 1955 Homer saw the Soviet Sputnik satellite in the night sky orbiting high above the earth. That single event changed Homer's life forever. Seeing Sputnik sparked a dream of flying rockets. As the movie unfolds, Homer chases his dream of launching his very own rocket. For Homer, living his dream meant lifting his eyes beyond the confines of Coalwood and looking skyward.
How about you? What dreams do you have for your life? Many people today do not have a dream, they are simply existing. But I think God wants us to have big dreams. I am talking about dreams that count for eternity. Big, scary, out of the box dreams that attempt to change the world.
Today in our reading we stumble upon a man hiding in a winepress threshing his wheat. What is interesting about the encounter with the Lord is the address. "The Lord is with you, MIGHTY WARRIOR!!"
That greeting is a huge oxymoron. There is Gideon, the picture of defeat and discouragement, a man living in the pits, and the Lord is calling him, "Mighty Warrior." That was the purpose of the visit of the angel of the Lord (Preincarnate Jesus). He came to Gideon to call him to a new dream of living in freedom from Midianite oppression. God had a dream of liberation and he wanted to partner with someone on this dream.
New dreams start with a new identity. God saw Gideon differently than Gideon saw himself. There are two ways to view every individual;
Some see Clark Kent but God sees Superman.
Some see Peter Parker but God sees Spiderman.
Some see childless Abraham but God see the Father of nations.
Some see "Denying Peter" but Jesus sees Rocky. (our NT reading)
If your dreams have faded or even died.
If the pain from the past has crushed all hope of a better future.
Even if you have become resistant to the idea of dreaming again.
Ask the Lord to Lord to allow you to become a dreamer. Lift your eyes above the pit and see that with God we can be all be "Mighty Warriors."
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