All Christians want a relationship with God, but we’re not always clear on what that relationship should be or about our part in it. We hear stories of faithful people from long ago or more contemporary people of faith like Mother Theresa and we think that we could never have faith like theirs. And, if we think we could never have faith like theirs, then why would God want anything to do with us? And how could we possibly be of any use to God?

The short answer to “Can God possibly want me?” is an absolute, emphatic YES!

Consider the people we have encountered so far in The Story: Abraham, Moses, Joshua and now the judges: in particular, Deborah, Gideon and Sampson. These people became who they are because of what God did in their lives. They, like all of the paragons of faith, responded to God’s call in a particular time and place for a particular purpose. They said “yes” to God and then acted on their “yes.”

When we consider these saints of God, we also have to be honest about who they are as humans and why God chose them. Moses stuttered and didn’t feel he could do what God was telling him to do. Rahab was a prostitute in Jericho, but she protected the spies out of fear and respect for God (she is mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus listed in Matthew 1). Deborah, the fourth judge, was a great military leader, and … a woman! She had to be a tough person to be a military leader at that point in time (Judges 4:9). Sampson was a flawed person, but nevertheless a servant of God. Gideon was the runt of his family which was “the weakest in Manasseh” (Judges 6:15). But God called Gideon and used him (Judges 6:11-40) to lead an attack against the Midianites with their huge army. There’s an amazing scene in which Gideon is preparing for battle with about 32,000 soldiers of which only 300 actually went into battle. This was like the crazy strategy at Jericho. Why on earth should marching around a city for seven days bring about a military victory? In the battle against the Midianites, who in their right mind would think that a measly 300 would have any hope against the likes of the Midianites?

In the end, there is no way that the people can claim victory by their own might.

For the saints of old, there is no way they can claim that their faithful acts were done by their own strength.

For you and I, is there any reason God should want us? Absolutely. Because even though we are weak at times and even though our faith may not be where we think it should be … God will be glorified as each of us lives our “yes” to God’s call.

Reference

• The Story | A Few Good Men … And Women – Chapter 8 covering Judges 2-4, 6-8, 13-16
• Sermon at 8:00am – The Story | A Few Good Men … And Women
• Sermon at 11:00am – The Story | A Few Good Men … And Women
• Judges of Israel: During the time when the land was ruled by judges, Judg. 2:16–19; Acts 13:20.
  • 1. Othniel, Judg. 3:9–11.
  • 2. Ehud, Judg. 3:15–30.
  • 3. Shamgar, Judg. 3:31.
  • 4. Deborah, Judg. 4; 5.
  • 5. Gideon, Judg. 6:11–40; 7; 8.
  • 6. Abimelech, Judg. 9:1–54.
  • 7. Tola, Judg. 10:1, 2.
  • 8. Jair, Judg. 10:3–5.
  • 9. Jephthah, Judg. 11; 12:1–7.
  • 10. Ibzan, Judg. 12:8–10.
  • 11. Elon, Judg. 12:11, 12.
  • 12. Abdon, Judg. 12:13, 14.
  • 13. Samson, Judg. 13–16.
  • Eli judged Israel, 1 Sam. 4:18.
  • Samuel as judge, 1 Sam. 7:6, 15–17. The sons of Samuel, 1 Sam. 8:1–5