What does it take to trust God?

Some remarkable things happened to Gideon. An angel offered a sign confirming God’s message. Gideon destroyed his community’s altar without consequence. And with no apparent leadership experience, he summoned thousands of people to gather for battle. But he still isn’t quite sure that God is with him:

Then Gideon said to God, “If you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said, behold, I am laying a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew on the fleece alone, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said.” And it was so. When he rose early next morning and squeezed the fleece, he wrung enough dew from the fleece to fill a bowl with water. Then Gideon said to God, “Let not your anger burn against me; let me speak just once more. Please let me test just once more with the fleece. Please let it be dry on the fleece only, and on all the ground let there be dew.” And God did so that night; and it was dry on the fleece only, and on all the ground there was dew. (Judges 6:36-40)

Gideon asks for two more signs, a wet fleece and a dry fleece. He knows he’s pushing the limit on the second request and hopes God won’t be angry with him. Despite all that has happened, Gideon is still struggling with his faith. He’s not quite sure he can trust what God is asking of him, so he chooses to test God. In this case, God obliges.

Despite the many blessings from God in my life, I, like Gideon, often want to “put out a fleece” when I’m struggling with my faith. The seeds of my doubt may be in a negative experience, a seemingly random accident or tragedy, a ruptured relationship, or a perceived absence of God at an important time. I want a new demonstration of God’s love, instead of recognizing all of the evidence around me, including Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. My doubts can at times overwhelm the indicators of God’s care.

As I read about Gideon, the lesson for me isn’t whether God is there; the issue is my struggle to trust. I want God to show up on my terms to earn my trust, instead of trusting what God will do with my experience, or how He will offer ways to use my life, regardless of the circumstances.

What past blessings in your family or family business do you attribute to God’s love, care, or presence? In what ways do you still struggle to trust God?