Christian Devotional – February 7, 2025

Avoiding the Rollercoaster, Day 7

Get up! Read Judges chapter 7.

To me, this chapter may be one of the funniest stories to read in the Bible. Here you have Gideon, a reluctant leader who really doesn’t want to be the one leading the people. He is terrified of his own shadow, it seems. He is trying to find an army and puts together 32,000 people. And then God eliminates 31,700 of them, leaving only 300 people to go attack.

The first elimination question God gave him was telling people if they were afraid, they should go home. I almost wonder if Gideon wanted to go home at that point! Later when God tells him if he’s still afraid he should go down to the camp and hear something that will encourage him, you see that he is still terrified because he heads straight to camp. What he hears encourages him and strengthens him so much that he comes back and tells the people to get up and let’s go!

If we want to avoid the rollercoaster of the ups and downs, we have to acknowledge that there are going to be times we are afraid to follow God There are going to be times that we are scared of what he is doing. There will be times it doesn’t make any sense. And yet, God gives us what we need exactly when we need it so that we have everything to be able to get up and go do all that God has told us to do.

Ultimately the way we feel is not nearly as important as the truth of who God is. Will we trust in the truth and get up and go? Following the emotions of our day to day life will only enhance the rollercoaster, because our emotions can be up one day and down the next. Gods truth never changes. Focus on God’s truth and get up and go do today.

Video devotional here https://youtu.be/jXq9JKc59C4