Life or God?

     Chapter 8 in The Story covers a huge amount of material, including the really great stories of Deborah, Samson and Gideon.  These were three individuals chosen by God to lead Israel during times of great turmoil and military unrest.
     The theme of the chapter, and of the whole book of Judges is that 'the people sinned and did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.'  It seemed that Joshua and his generation did a wonderful job of sticking to the covenant except the part where they 'recite it to their children, and talk about it when you are at home and when you are away, when you lay down and when you rise.' We are told that after Joshua died, "another generation grew up who neither knew the Lord nor what he had done for Israel."  And with this generation came several more who followed a pattern:

• Sin and do what is evil in the sight of the Lord by worshiping other gods
• Cry out to God to deliver them from their enemies
• God raises a judge to rule them and provides peace for the duration of the life of the judge
• The judge dies and the people sin and do what is evil in the sight of the Lord

While all three of the major judges discussed in chapter 8 are wonderful and have fascinating stories, full of God's presence and God's Spirit, we will focus this Sunday on Gideon, particularly on his call story found in Judges 6.11-24.
 
Gideon is from the smallest and weakest clan in his tribe, a lowly farmer with no military or strategic experience.  He knows his sheep and his land, and he knows that the luck for the Israelites has been running thin.  Agricultural disaster, famines, and enemies winning every battle meant a bleak outlook for them, and everyone took it as a sign that God had abandoned them.  All of this set up makes the opening lines of the text seem rather comical, when an angel of the Lord comes to Gideon and the following dialogue takes place:
Angel: The Lord is with you, you mighty warrior.

Gideon and the Angel, He Qi*

Gideon: But sir, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our ancestors recounted to us, saying, “Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?” But now the Lord has cast us off, and given us into the hand of Midian.

The angel appears to Gideon and seemingly says two outrageous things.  Firstly that God is with them, and secondly that Gideon is a mighty warrior.
     As I read this account of Gideon's call, I am reminded of so many conversations I've had with myself and with others.  Circumstances around us would seem to point to God's absence, and yet God has promised to be with us.  And like Gideon, I also find myself asking for signs.  I've never been quite so fortunate as Gideon to receive so many, so specific signs, but the signs of proof are not where I want to focus today.
     I am drawn again and again so the circumstances of life and God's presence with us.  It is easy to look at others, and sometimes at ourselves, and wonder where God is.  Surely if God was with us, x, y, or z would never have happened.  Surely if God was with us we wouldn't feel this way.  Surely if God was with us...
     But what if this is the wrong line of thinking altogether?  This line of thinking focuses on the lack of evidence of God's presence.  It is a scarcity mentality.  And, it is not exactly biblical, as Philip Yancy discusses in his book, Disappointment with God.  In it, he tells the story of an acquaintance who cautions us, "Don't confuse life with God."  Life happens.  And as disciples of Christ, we know that there are powers other than God at work in the world.
     The truth is that life circumstances don't actually give us any clue as to God's presence or lack thereof.  The truth is that God is with us.  Period.  That is why Christ came, and why he suffered, died, and rose again, and that is why we are joined to him in baptism.
     What this story of Gideon tells us is that God isn't necessarily looking for the people who have it together, or for those whose lives look good from the outside.  God isn't looking for highly trained or qualified people.  God is simply looking for a willing heart.  And when God finds it, the world begins to change.  God's power in and through Gideon made the difference of life and death for the Israelites.  God's power in and through us makes the difference of life and death for those we meet.  We never know what is happening in the lives of those around us, and as disciples ready and willing to shine our lights and live a life of witness, our random act of kindness, our word of forgiveness and love, our service in the name of Christ changes the world.
     This week I am pondering the mystery of life and God.  Rather than asking why God is missing, perhaps the mystery is for us to find God in all circumstances, and to give thanks for the small things that didn't go wrong, rather than focusing on the things that did.
*He, Qi. Gideon and the Angel, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. http://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=46091 [retrieved October 29, 2013]. Original source: heqigallery.com.