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FEBRUARY 2000......GOD'S TRUTH IS STRANGER THAN FICTION!!

�And the Angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, and said to him, �The LORD is with you, you mighty man of valour!� (Judges 6:12)

If we accept every divine pronouncement to be the truth, then the reality of Gideon�s circumstances could not have been further from the truth. This is evident if one reads the background and context to Judges 6. The budding nation of Israel was suffering from a leadership vacuum, once-vanquished enemies were now riding roughshod over the Israelites. Gideon himself was so afraid of these enemies that he was tip-toeing around with his daily chores. Besides, the man was also struggling with an acute lack of self-esteem - the smallest, the youngest, the weakest etc. So much for being a mighty man of valour! If God had a grand plan to resurrect the nation, giving a guy like Gideon the top job was hardly a confidence-inspiring move. Yet, it turned out to be the salvation of the individual and nation.

TOO SOBER TO CATCH A GLIMPSE OF A HEAVENLY VISION?

Many of us are like Gideon. Weighed down by the only-too-real concerns of the past-and-now, we are unable to discern the future. Brought down to earth by stark and overpowering realities, we are too sober to entertain heavenly visions. We are nailed down to the current scenario and find it difficult to see the future rearranged any differently. Mental conditioning numbs us to the possibility of drastic or dramatic change. Our ruminations often display a certain mind track: �Things have always been like this� �The circumstances are so iron-clad and fixed, moving a mountain would be easier�, �I can�t do it like others because they had the breaks that I don�t� etc.

THE FUTURE IS THE REAL THING

The truth is, the past and present are not the fulfillment of God�s plan for us, they are not indicators for the future. They were starting blocks, places to cut our teeth on, space for hard knocks, a training ground discover strengths and improve weaknesses. At best, they were a minuscule foretaste of His destiny for us.

God�s perspective of Gideon shows us that the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David and Elijah (to name but a few) deals with His people not on the basis of their past or present but their future. He may mention past mistakes but He has always called us and urged us on due to the future potential that He has planted in us.

GOD SHOWS THE BIG PICTURE BUT OMITS THE MICRO STUFF

As was the case with Gideon, God basically shows us the big picture. He omits to tell us about the micro stuff like the hiccups, hurdles and detours that are likely to happen along the way because it is the destination that has always been His foremost concern. These other things don�t figure greatly in God�s view of us. So, quit licking your wounds if something unexpected and not received through prophecy has happened to you. Stop thinking that life moves too slowly for God�s great plans to unfurl in a lifetime.

The next time someone tells you to take a good look at yourself, remember to look into God�s mirror. What you see there is simply the way God sees and knows us - even if His truth is stranger than fiction.