Beyond the Weekend: GOD IS...
People have a lot of thoughts about God. Some say he is angry and vengeful. Some say he is a buddy or best friend. But what does Scripture tell us about God?
Understanding the character of God matters. It changes how we meet him in our everyday lives. It changes how we understand the world around us, and his work in it. And it changes our prayer life and how we talk and hear from him. Understanding the character of God leads us to living lives of obedience and worship.
Join Pastors Aaron Buer, Jeff Manion and Brad Holmes in our 10-week series GOD IS ..., a study on the identity and character of God, and learn how your faith can grow as you know God better.
Peace in Our Weakness
Read: Judges 6:13-126 Listen: Judges 6
The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?” Judges 6:14
God tells Gideon that he’s the guy to save Israel. Gideon doesn’t agree. Gideon focuses on his weakness. He’s from the weakest clan in the tribe, and he’s the least in his family. It’s like he’s saying, “Don’t you know who I am and where I come from?” Gideon is not focused on God’s strength. God isn’t concerned about Gideon’s weakness. He tells Gideon to use what strength he has, and God will be with him.
God was with Gideon, and God is with us. One repeated refrain throughout the Bible is God’s presence. As followers of Jesus, God is not only with us, but God’s Spirit lives in us (Romans 8:11). When we don’t want to face our problems, God is with us. We rely on God and bring whatever strength we have. When it feels like we don’t even know the words to pray, we rely on God and bring whatever strength we have to our prayer. When we feel like we don’t have the strength to even go to church, we rely on God and bring whatever strength we have to get moving. God is with us. When we rely on him, he brings peace in the midst of our weakness.
TODAY: Thank God for being present with you in the good and bad, when you feel strong and when you feel weak. Reflect on a time when God was with you in your weakness and say this simple prayer: “God, thank you for being with me even when _____________. In that moment, I felt weak.”
JESUS IN THE OLD TESTAMENT:
Read Psalm 34. Highlight anything that points to Jesus. Consider how this psalm points to Jesus’s bones remaining unbroken on the cross.
