“And the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon and said, “The LORD is with you, O mighty man of valor.” “Please, my Lord,” Gideon replied, “if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? And where are all His wonders of which our fathers told us, saying, ‘Has not the LORD brought us up out of Egypt?’ But now the LORD has forsaken us and delivered us into the hand of Midian.” The LORD turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel from the hand of Midian. Am I not sending you?””
In plain words: The angel told Gideon that the Lord was with him and that he was a brave, strong fighter, even though he was hiding. When Gideon wondered why God seemed far away, God told him to go with the strength he had, because God was the one sending him.
What Judges 6:12-14 means.
God called Gideon a mighty warrior while he was hiding. God sees who you are becoming, not just where you’re hiding.
Common questions about Judges 6:12-14
Why did the angel call Gideon a mighty man when he was hiding?
Gideon was threshing wheat inside a winepress, a hiding place, because raiders from Midian kept stealing Israel's food (Judges 6:11). He was not acting like a warrior. Yet the angel greeted him as one, and the first thing he said was that the Lord was with him. That is the key. Gideon's strength would not come from Gideon. It would come from God's presence. The angel was speaking about who Gideon would become with God, not only about where he was standing that day.
Apply it today: Notice one place where you have been hiding or holding back, and write it down.
Is it okay that Gideon questioned God and said He had left them?
Gideon had a real complaint. Midian had raided Israel for seven years, and people were hungry and afraid (Judges 6:1-6). He asked where God's wonders were. God did not scold him or walk away. He kept talking with Gideon and gave him a job to do. The Bible is full of honest people bringing hard questions to God, like the writer of Psalm 13. You do not have to pretend everything is fine before you talk to God.
Apply it today: Tell God plainly, in your own words, one thing that feels unfair or hard right now.
What does "go in the strength you have" mean?
It means Gideon did not have to wait until he felt ready. God sent him as he was, small and afraid. God also gave the reason: He was the one sending Gideon, and He promised to be with him (Judges 6:16). Gideon's weakness did not stop the plan. In the end, God used only 300 men, so everyone would know the victory came from Him (Judges 7:2, 7:7). Strength here means trusting God, not feeling strong.
Apply it today: Take one small step today on something you have been putting off because you don't feel ready.
Ask anything about it.
Every question gets a clear answer in seconds, and a way to live it today.
Live it today.
Come out of hiding in one area today. Take the step God has been nudging you toward.
Pray it back.
Lord, You call me mighty when I feel weak. I’ll go in the strength You give me.
Carry it all day.
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