Every time I hear the word “pursuit”, as a child of the 80’s I am reminded of Sheriff Roscoe P. Coltrane. There were not a lot of things about Roscoe I would like to add to my life, but you have to admit, Roscoe never gave up a pursuit…
Continuing my study of Gideon, I am in chapter 8 of Judges and verse 4 is a challenge to my daily walk:
And Gideon came to the Jordan and crossed over, he and the 300 men who were with him, exhausted yet pursuing. (emphasis mine)
Gideon’s battle itself was not an overly difficult one, but when you look back in the story, it would appear that he has had a prolonged period of time without much sleep. Gideon did a lot of work at night – taking down an idol, infiltrating a camp, and then his trumpet and light show that turned the enemy on themselves. Follow all of that up with a pursuit of two fellas and their straggling soldiers, a confrontation with some of his cousins, and I am sure he was exhausted.
But he kept pursuing. Why?
I think it is simply because the job wasn’t done. God told him He would use Gideon to defeat the armies of Midian, and these two generals were still converting oxygen to CO2. It was not time to rest. And in the verses to follow, we will see that there was more to overcome. I encourage you to read it for yourself and see how Gideon pressed on and took care of the job. Even when people denied him help, he did not let up.
Lately, I have been very tired. I know God is blessing and there are a lot of really neat things going on – continuing to grow closer to my wife, the amazing number of kids from BBC at Lake Ann Camp this year, the relationship that has been getting stronger with my son, the time I have been spending in the Word, trying my hand at writing, working to be a godly husband, father, and friend. I am so excited about it, as I am sure that Gideon was excited about the victory he had been promised. I know that God is working. I know that He is working on me.
I’m tired.
I’m tired, and I see other big things and opportunities ahead. It scares me to think I am already tired! To think that I could one day look back on this and think, “You only THOUGHT you were tired!”
I’m not going to let it stop me though. There are things happening that I have been longing to see, just as Gideon wanted to see his people free. The dreams I have had are fuel that allow me to keep going. God is working, and I see it. He is telling me that He is sufficient for me. I know that there will be people along the way that will help me – you all are doing it already in your prayers. I also know there will be people who can, but will not. Not sure if I get to beat them with blackberry thorns… That might take a little more Bible Study to see if that is an option…
I talked with a friend last night who is in a pursuit of his own. He is stepping out of what many would call a great job, at a place he loves, where he is surrounded by friends and a great culture, to follow God in a different way. He has about 40 days and he will even need to be out of his home, and he doesn’t know where he is going yet! He has some ideas, some thoughts on what he is praying and hoping for, but he has nothing tangible at this point. As he was telling me all about it, HE COULD NOT STOP SMILING! He is relentlessly pursuing what God has put in his heart and he is thrilled, even in the face of the unknown. What an encouragement to me!
Keep pursuing! We all get tired, but Gideon was not alone. He had his trusted men with him as I do. He had the words of God to stand on, as I do. He was the man God wanted in the battle. I believe that at least at this period of my life, I am where He wants me to be – Relentless in pursuit of the mission set before me.
Relentless Growth -> Grow Deep -> Grow Strong
Relentless Growth 