It Wasn’t God, It Would Have Happened Anyway!

Judges 6:36 “And Gideon said unto God, If thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said,”

Judges 6:37 “Behold, I will put a fleece of wool in the floor; and if the dew be on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the earth beside, then shall I know that thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said.”

Judges 6:38 “And it was so: for he rose up early on the morrow, and thrust the fleece together, and wringed the dew out of the fleece, a bowl full of water.”

Judges 6:39 “And Gideon said unto God, Let not thine anger be hot against me, and I will speak but this once: let me prove, I pray thee, but this once with the fleece; let it now be dry only upon the fleece, and upon all the ground let there be dew.”

Judges 6:40 “And God did so that night: for it was dry upon the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground.”

You know how Christians like to pray, and like to think God has a hand in what they’re going through, what is happening, and how things have gone?

And you ever heard how people scoff and sneer from the cheap seats and say “God had nothing to do with it, it would’ve happened anyway… just you’re attributing it to God to help you sleep at night”?

And maybe you’re a Christian and even that line of thinking has popped into your own head… and when God has moved in your life, you doubt it’s him, and that thought always comes from never far back lurking in our minds to take seat on the throne of our hearts.

I’ve had quite a few life changes in recent times, and I know it was God honouring his promises to me founded in his word, promises I did not deserve, but promises I gratefully received and believing yet unbelievingly! stepped into “And he went out, and followed him; and wist not that it was true which was done by the angel”

Doesn’t mean things have gone my way either, but no matter which way I go, he is with me where I am, that’s what makes life truly worth living “But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.”

Today, I want to encourage you from Gideon’s life. He was a nobody who got called by the Lord to go and lead his people Israel out from under the oppressive dominating hand of Midian.

He felt underqualified, underequipped, unsuited to the task… unable… and God said “go in this thy might”… because your strength in life will be realizing you don’t have any strength… and your glory in life will be realizing all glory is the Lord’s!

But back on topic, Gideon at the end of chapter 6 as quoted above is “walking on the water” in his life, some pretty incredible stuff and breakthroughs are happening in his life and toward other people, and he’s realized he’s doing so, big battles are looming, and he wants to be doubly and triply sure this is God’s leading in his life.

Is this really God? Is this really what God wants me to do? “as thou hast said”

He tells God, if this is really you and what you’ve called me to do, ill put a fleece out and if its wet and ground dry… then I’ll believe it’s you.

… and it happens!

Then he thinks … maybe that would’ve happened anyway! So he asks for the opposite thing… and that happens also!

It is God!

But for many people, the evil heart of unbelief is so strong they’ll never see God do anything with their life. Nothing would ever convince them, not even Jesus rising from the dead is enough for them. And that’s because faith pleases God, and every work of God is based on faith “This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.”

Christianity isn’t anti science, anti rational thinking as they would have you believe, but it is birthed, founded and validated in faith.

And yes, maybe your life is actually as you say, devoid of God in many senses and you have made it so. Yet you cannot escape enjoying his grace even if you attribute it not to him… but yes you may have chosen a life without his presence.

Adam and Eve did also. Cain did also, Esau… and many have trod that path since.

But remember this, if you live without God in this life, then that also means you don’t have God, and you will also die without God “For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law:”

If you live your life without the law of God, that also means you live your life without the law of God which would have saved you if it was legislated in your life by saving faith “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.”

That’s what’s so sad. Because truth is, we all go through ups and downs, triumphs and tragedies, all the seasons of life… but what is vastly different is how we go through them, what use are they and to what end… because with God in your life, everything has a plan and purpose and works for you ultimately, but without God it’s just doing life.

One of the names of Jesus Christ is “Emmanuel” which means “God with us”… but many people do not know Emmanuel, and that by choice.

And so for many people, “it would have happened anyway” might well have been the case for them as they live out “eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die”… but for the child of God the story is far different.

We go through the same things, yet so differently, there is no “it would have happened anyway, for we have Jesus in what happens,
what we pray does matter, the desires he gives us do count, for the ground we tread upon isn’t normal earth… it’s holy ground.

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