My Gideon's Fleece
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Do you have an enemy?
Is there someone in the world that wrongly speaks against you?
If you are a people pleaser (i raise my hand to that one), then you may have worked diligently to NOT have any enemies. After all, somehow your self-value might have been closely connected with how others viewed you. Gracious it took decades for the Lord to walk me out of those shadowy valley places.
“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death…” Psalm 23:4a
I was born with a propensity to want the approval of others. How about you?
God has spent much time growing me up and re-training my heart.
The scripture says,
"Friendship with the world is enmity with God. Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." James 4:4
"If the world hates you, be aware that it hated me before it hated you." John 15:18
Recently I had a very troubling altercation with a woman who had little control over her harsh tongue. Sadly, she is a church-goer. She knows the verses — but she isn’t obedient to them. She talks the talk but doesn’t walk the walk. She causes harm.
When we encounter a hurtful, sharp tongued person, working to wound us personally, we might get angry. We might respond and speak back or we might try and overlook it. But when that person begins to hurt someone we love or someone who is smaller or weaker — well — remaining silent can become a near impossibility. When they are hurting us….it’s different than when they are hurting another.
I’ve always loved the poignant quote by Edmund Burke, “The only thing needed for evil to prevail, is for good men to do nothing.”
Let’s pick this quote apart in order to bring deep clarity to its value. If you are a Christian, and the Word of God is your guide, then you can simplify “the world” into two basic categories — good and not good. We know that what is good comes from God; conversely what is not good, or evil, comes from the enemy of God, satan. Therefore —
“The only thing needed for evil (satan’s plans)
to prevail (dominate, win, succeed)…
is for good (God’s way) people (God’s children)
to do nothing (remain silent and inactive).”
When hurtful words come against us personally, we might pause. But when we see someone else being hurt with actions or words, and we know that wrong is happening, what should we do? Do we step in and stop it? Or do we walk on by?
“Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.” James 1:19, is a good guide in these murky places. For many years I worked diligently to hold myself to the words of this verse. (I failed quite often, but i tried relentlessly). Then a great mentor opened my eyes to the adverbs…quick and slow. Those words convey the speed in which we respond. They do not teach us to “do nothing”. Her guidance and accurate teaching helped me profoundly.
Listen…do not speak quickly…do not let your emotions lead.
Listen carefully. Speak only after you’ve listened. If righteous anger is appropriate, let it be guided by God.
Righteous anger — also called righteous indignation — is a moral emotion. It is an angry reaction to perceived injustice, cruelty, or sin rather than a personal slight. Instead of coming from pride or a desire for revenge, it stems from a love for what is good and a defense of the vulnerable.
This definition, this understanding, has helped me both stay silent when I should, as well as speak out, when it is needed. Scripture gives us powerful examples:
Jesus showed us what righteous anger looked like when He flipped the tables at the temple grounds. (Matthew 21:12-13, Mark 11:15-17, Luke 19:45-47, and John 2:13-16) When all four of the Gospel accounts write about it, it deserves more than a passing glance.
Jesus looked at the Pharisees in anger and deep distress because their hardened hearts prioritized rigid religious rules over human compassion. Mark 3:5
Jesus became indignant with His disciples when they tried to prevent children from coming to Him, telling them to let the little children come. Mark 10:14
I still care whether people “like” me or not. Oh, but God has pruned much away and refined much in the regrowth. When someone is acting and speaking in harmful ways, the ways of this world, we should not be “friends” with that kind of heart. High integrity, that honors God, compels us to stand for what is good and resist what is evil.
Recently I had to take a bold, firm stand against someone who was repeatedly hurting the heart of another. A bully, with twinkling eyes and a sparkly smile, who was pelting a confused, wounded, silent soul. I’d prayed. Watched. Listened closely. Prayed more. And I realized the bully, in this setting, didn’t believe anyone would step in and stop it. I prayed until I knew — “the only thing needed for this evil to continue is for…” And so I spoke. Firmly, clearly, and unbendingly.
The bullying stopped.
I became the new target.
But by God’s good grace and after much good mentoring — the bully doesn’t realize that i no longer am concerned with being “liked” in those arenas.
Recently though, after hearing words of how the bully was portraying me to others — I went to a place of deep prayer with my Father God. I needed to be sure i had understood His clear guidance to me accurately. I needed to be affirmed that i had not spoken out wrongly and disobeyed His guidance to me.
And so I prayed a Gideon’s fleece prayer. If you do not know what that is, grab your Bible and read about this amazing, true story. You’ll find it in Judges 6:36-40.
Here’s how it unfolded.
Steve and I had traveled with our oldest son and his dear wife to Iceland. We had gone with hopes of seeing the Northern Lights as well as the puffins living on the high cliffs of the Atlantic. We knew that we were a bit early for viewing the aurora borealis and we were perhaps a bit late to see the puffins. But it was the only window of time we had to go, and so we hoped for the best and prayed.
During a day of rest after our arrival, I spent the day in the Word and praying fervently. With many words and a somber heart I prayed and asked God to affirm, or discipline me, in regards to the harsh way i was being spoken of by this self-centered person.
I prayed,
“Dear Father,
I believe I spoke and responded according to Your clear guidance to me, and yet, I realize I am being slandered because of it. And so Lord, I ask for this. If I have spoken or responded wrongly to this person, in this firm stance I have taken, — will You please not allow me to see Your northern lights.
You know how much I want to see them, but I’m laying it down and choosing clarity from You instead.
Please show me. Did I understand Your guidance to me? Did I respond and speak inline with Your heart? And as a result, am I now being persecuted by this persons words? But more importantly — is my obedience pleasing to You? If it is — would You please show me Your Northern Lights on this trip.
I need to know from Your heart Father — have I misunderstood Your guidance or have I acted inline with Your guidance?
If I see the Northern lights, I will feel Your blessing even in the persecution.
But if I do not see the Northern lights, I will prayerfully humble myself and expose it.
I pray all this in Jesus name — Amen.”
Dear ones — hours later, on that very night, the Northern Lights shined in a starry sky above us. Oh what a kind, clarifying Abba He is. And the next day we saw the puffins as well. We were blessed with both gifts. What amazing affirmation to an asking heart.
The bully will likely continue to bully others. But they will not bully the one I stepped in front of. And our God, who sees all, will not relent in His pursuit of what is good and upright. He corrects and disciplines, because He loves what is good and upright.
He hears our prayers.
God heard Gideon’s prayer and that same great God hears our prayers today.
He responds when we ask. He longs for us to ask.
And then He asks us to be brave and courageous as we obey Him.
Sometimes righteous anger is the only right way forward.
