Is that the Lord's hand in my life? - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing,
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him and what came to my mind and heart in Judges 7:22,

"When the three hundred trumpets sounded, the Lord caused the men
throughout the camp to turn on each other with their swords."

In a stunning account we read how Gideon, with a force of only 300
men, routed the vast army of the Midianites. And, did so with the aid
of trumpets and jars - not the typical weapons of warfare. Gideon
certainly had plenty of opportunity to recognize just who it was that
provided the victory. Indeed, the Lord had pared Gideon's original
fighting force of thirty-two thousand down to three hundred for the
specific purpose of insuring the Israelites not make the mistake that
the victory was of their own doing. "The Lord said to Gideon, 'You
have too many men for me to deliver Midian into their hands. In order
that Israel may not boast against me that her own strength has saved
her...'", and then the Lord tells Gideon to send most of the fighting
men home. See Judges 7:2-8. So, to be sure, it wasn't Gideon with 300
fighting men that routed the Midianites, but the Lord using Gideon and
the 300 men with trumpets and jars.

While Gideon had ample revelation to know what the Lord was doing
during this event, not all of the Lord's acts are as obvious to the
observer when things take place.This brings to mind a reoccurring
thought that comes to me. When events take place in my life, in the
lives of those around me, in our nation and so forth, am I recognizing
just who is responsible when something happens? In other words, am I
recognizing the wonderful and/or fearful works of the Lord on my
behalf, on behalf of others, when such acknowledgement is due? And, on
the flip side, do I recognize the events that are not the cause of the
Lord, but that possibly he gets the blame for? "Acts of God" is a
disclaimer often found in insurance policies and other places. Are
they always really specific acts of God? Or, as when people, who have
endured very difficult events in their lives, such as the loss of a
child and so forth, can become embittered toward the Lord for "taking"
the life of a loved one. Is it always the Lord that causes these kinds
of circumstances when they take place?

In my mind, true worship is the acknowledgement of both the wonderful
perfections and qualities of our Creator as well as his wonderful and
fearful acts on our behalf. For me to be able to worship the Lord
acceptably, it seems to me that I need to know something of the Lord's
character and nature as well as to be able to recognize when it is him
who acts. "Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be
shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with
reverence and awe, for our 'God is a consuming fire.'"

May we all grow in our ability to recognize the Lord's hand when he
moves in our lives!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!

Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com