Ordinary Things

Week two of my study in Gideon discussed Gideon's encounter with the angel of the Lord. Gideon was "beating out wheat in the wine press" when the angel of the Lord appeared to him (Judges 6:11-12). Priscilla Shirer suggested that the "angel most likely had the look of an ordinary man who had come to Gideon in an ordinary way during an ordinary day." She continued by saying "God often comes to us in our 'boring days', veiled in the most ordinary of circumstances. In fact, 'ordinary' is often the disguise of the divine." Expecting or looking for a grand event to accompany an encounter with God can cause us to miss Him altogether. "The mundane, the routine, the commonplace - these are the contexts in which He will reveal Himself to humanity. . . But "to be aware of God's purpose, (we) must first be aware of His presence." (p. 42)

How do we become aware of His purpose? We can pray like Paul in Ephesians 1:18 that the eyes of our hearts would be opened. The result of this he says is that we will know "the hope of His calling, the riches of the glory of His inheritance, and the surpassing greatness of His power for believers." Warren Wiersbe writes that "the hope that belongs to our calling should be a dynamic force in our lives, encouraging us to be pure, obedient and faithful. The fact that we shall one day see Christ and be like Him should motivate us to live like Christ today."

This played out in Gideon's life by him first becoming aware of God's presence and then by being given a new calling as well as the power to accomplish it. The same is true for us. First we must use our spiritual eyes to discern God's presence. Then we will understand our calling and feel the power we have to accomplish what we have been called to do. The thing I always remember about studying the life of Moses is that whatever God calls you to do, He will also equip you to do. God is near us in the everyday situations of our lives. He is ready and willing to equip us to handle whatever is before us, no matter how small or insignificant the task may feel. Need patience to deal with a fussy baby? Need clarity of thought on a task at work? Need wisdom to counsel your teen? Need courage to go on a job interview? God is with you and ready to give you what you need. Become aware of His presence.

Gideon was doing the ordinary task of threshing his wheat - separating the grain from the chaff. As a stay-at-home homeschooling mom, my daily tasks are not very exciting. There is schooling the kids, cleaning the house, washing the dishes, doing the laundry, preparing meals, shopping and running errands. These tasks don't seem to be very significant, but Priscilla points out that they might just be preparation for a future calling. "They can carry clues to what He is leading us to learn and accomplish as we faithfully serve Him. . .He is teaching (us) faithfulness, diligence, and integrity through every task." (p. 47)

It can be easy to shirk these duties thinking no one will notice or they don't matter. But to God, they do. He wants us to be good stewards of all He has given us. We express honor and gratitude when we care for the things He has blessed us with. Colossians 3:23 says that we should work at everything we do with all our heart, as working for the Lord.

Gideon's threshing also revealed God' abundance. Having wheat to thresh showed God's provision even though they were in the midst of oppression by the Midianites. Priscilla reminds us that "even (our) most mundane duty has a twinkle of the favor of God. For if He removed His blessings completely from you - taking away your home, your family, your work, your possessions - the need for many of your daily tasks would disappear. Don't despise the very things that signify your seat under the umbrella of God's goodness each day." (p. 48) We can see the everyday things as a burden, or we can choose to see them as God's blessing. I'm thankful for my children and the freedom to homeschool them; for a home that needs to be cleaned; for clothes that need to be washed; for food that needs to be prepared. The tasks associated with these blessings become less dreaded when seen through the spiritual eyes of gratitude.

Ask the Lord to help you see His presence in your life. See the everyday, mundane tasks as God's blessing on your life. Don't despise these tasks; instead, offer thanks to the One who placed them in your care.

-Priscilla Shirer quotes from Gideon
-Warren Wiersbe quotes from The Wiersbe Bible Commentary; New Testament