Bruce is screaming mad at God, declaring to his girlfriend Grace (how ironic is that?) that God has forgotten him. Then, when he storms out of the house, he demands signs from God. Over and over God gives Bruce signs. Unfortunately (for him) they are subtle and he just doesn't get it. There is a simple road sign declaring "Caution Ahead" and then a truck passes by with tons of signs such as "Wrong Way" and "Dead End". We're on the outside looking in. We giggle at the subtle "obviousness" of God. Finally, Bruce crashes his car into a light pole. There he screams out his frustration with God and demands that God smite him and put him out of his misery. Interestingly enough, God hears and decides to get personally involved!
I have never felt comfortable demanding signs from God. I always thought it disrespectful and a sign of poor faith. But deep in my heart, I've always wanted to do it. "Show me, God. Prove to me that you're there. That you haven't removed yourself from mankind. Show me that you know who I am; what I'm going through; where I'm struggling to live out this puny life. Just give me a sign! (And please, if you don't mind...make it obvious!)" There is one character (and I mean that in the truest sense of the word) in the Bible that somehow gets away with it though- Gideon.
Gideon is hiding, threshing wheat in a winepress. I don't know much about wheat threshing or winepresses but somehow I don't get the feeling that he was working in the most ideal of conditions. He's angry at God and when approached by God's angel, he lets him know, in no uncertain terms, that he doesn't have one iota of faith that God is involved in His people's lives. Yet it is Gideon that God has chosen to lead His people into victory over Midian.
Gideon is weak in faith. And despite multiple obvious signs from God, it appears it never really gets much better. In Judges 7:9-12 God tells Gideon,
"Get up and go down to the camp. I've given it to you. If you have any doubts about going down, go down with Purah your armor bearer; when you hear what they're saying, you'll be bold and confident." He and his armor bearer Purah went down near the place where sentries were posted.
Do you see it? God knew that Gideon was going to have trouble believing Him. And Gideon was true to form...he took Purah with him, down to hear the Midianites themselves say that God was going to hand them over to Gideon. He had to hear it from human beings rather than believe God, Himself!
Why does God have so much patience with Gideon? Why does He go to great lengths to give Gideon whatever he needs to cause him to believe? Would He ever have that much patience with me? Could I demand a wet blanket on a dry ground or to have my gift burnt to a crisp by the single touch of a visitor?
I find it interesting that Gideon is listed in the Hebrews 11 Faith Hall of Fame- someone who required such obvious proof; who had no problem asking God to "prove it". God even gave him proof the last time before he asked for it, knowing him well enough to know that His word just wasn't going to be enough.
God had something huge planned for Gideon. He desired to use Gideon, weak faith and all, to lead His people to victory. Because Gideon's faith was so weak, God's signs had to be obvious. God will do what needs to be done to accomplish His purpose. So maybe God doesn't have me picked out to be a mighty warrior leading people into battle for Him. But He does know me and He knows how much proof I need to believe Him. So maybe sometimes my faith is weak. Maybe sometimes I wish I had just a little more proof of what God is up to. But I can rest assured that He is faithful and willing to show me what I need to be shown to believe. He did it for Gideon. I believe He'll do it for me!
3 comments:
I once was bold enough to ask for a sign when faced with a decision and He gave me one. When it dawned on me that He did just that, I was joyful yet very much in awe, and quite frankly a little unnerved by it all. At the time I was skeptical of the power of "my" own prayers. He got my attention for sure! Great blog today.
p.s. Interestingly enough, at the end of the movie Bruce cries out to the Lord in repentance.
I'd like to see the rest of it. I wondered about the significance of Jennifer Aniston's character being named Grace. I wondered what Christ, in all his Grace-ness (graciousness) thinks when he has to listen to us rail about how abandoned by God we feel!
Dear Sunshine, I truly enjoyed this post. I also have blatantly asked (not demanded) signs from God when faced with tough decisions. Suprisingly, God was gracious enough to apease my weak faith. I don't know why I was suprised, but I was. I guess Gideon's story, along with the end of 1 Corinthians chapter 1, gives me hope, because God choses the foolish, the weak, and the low to do His work. Maybe that means me, too. By the way, I love Bruce Almighty, and I think, Grace is aptly named, because Bruce certainly doesn't deserve her.
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