"The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor." Yet, if "mighty" or "valor" does not reflect your personal profile these days, keep reading. You are in good company.
The news captivated Gideon in fear...causing him to retreat and leading him to question the presence of the Lord. "Please, my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us?" And any time the starting point is the news, one will always find himself running the race in doubt - doubt in the Lord's presence and doubt in the Lord's relevancy. Can you relate with Gideon?
I so appreciated Paul Tripp's comments concerning this passage, "God calls <Gideon> a mighty man not because of Gideon's natural strength and courage, but because of what Gideon will be able to do in the power that God will give him."
Tripp continues, "If you fail to remember who God is in His power, glory, and grace, and you forget who you are as a child in His family, you will always mis-measure your potential to do what God has called you to do. You will measure your capability based on your natural gifts and the size of whatever it is that God has chose you to face."
Instead of sizing up the news or the race you believe is before us, size up the Lord who is with you. "Faith is about measuring your potential, not on the basis of your natural gifts and experience, but in the surety of God's presence and promises." This is the basis of might and valor.
So...get ready, set, go! Run, O mighty man of valor! Why? The Lord is with you.
(I highly recommend Paul David Tripp's New Morning Mercies.)