God Is in the Details

How God Encourages Us in Our Fear

We often think of Him in terms of the miraculous, the supernatural and the spiritual—and rightly so.

But Scripture also shows us a God who is remarkably practical.

He attends to ordinary human needs and the things that concern us in everyday life.

Today, come with me as we explore the God who also cares about the details we may be worried about.

Sometimes when God asks someone to do something difficult, He does not simply give the instruction and leave the person to figure everything else out. He sees the fear, the uncertainty and sometimes even the physical need—and He attends to it.

And when what we are doing aligns with His purpose, God is interested in our success in it. He does not simply give us an assignment and leave us to figure out how to accomplish it.

Let's consider Gideon.

A. Gideon — “If you are afraid…”

Gideon was facing a very difficult situation, and he was afraid. He faced a joint army of the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples. The Bible describes their numbers as “thick as locusts.” Their camels “could no more be counted than the sand on the seashore.”

And God had reduced Gideon's army to a mere 300 men to face these huge armies.

Gideon must have thought, How could that be?

Earlier, he had been so worried about going to war at all that he repeatedly asked God for reassurance that He would deliver the Midianites into his hands (Judges 6:36–40).

Gideon was afraid of the army coming against him. God, knowing his fear, woke him and said:

“If you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah and listen to what they are saying. Afterward, you will be encouraged to attack the camp.”Judges 7:10–11, NIV

God shows compassion for Gideon's weakness.

He did not dismiss it. He did not simply say, I am a sovereign God, and I told you what to do.

He knew Gideon needed encouragement—and a practical one too.

Without Gideon even asking, God provided it.

The result of that tip from God was nothing short of spectacular.

Gideon went down to the enemy camp to listen, just as God had told him. He arrived just in time to hear one of the soldiers telling another about his dream:

“I had a dream,” he was saying. “A round loaf of barley bread came tumbling into the Midianite camp. It struck the tent with such force that the tent overturned and collapsed.”Judges 7:13, NIV

His friend immediately interpreted the dream as meaning that God had given Midian and the whole camp into Gideon's hands.

When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he bowed down and worshipped.

Then he returned to the camp of Israel and called out:

“Get up! The LORD has given the Midianite camp into your hands.”Judges 7:15, NIV

He had received the encouragement he needed and the courage to move forward.

B. Samuel — “How can I go?”

Another man who needed encouragement to act was Samuel.

God told Samuel to anoint David while Saul was still alive and still on the throne:

“Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.”1 Samuel 16:1, NIV

Samuel was afraid.

He immediately said:

“How can I go? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me.”1 Samuel 16:2, NIV

Again, we see God's compassion for his weakness.

He does not dismiss Samuel's fear. Instead, He gives him a practical way to proceed:

“Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.’ Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what to do. You are to anoint for me the one I indicate.”1 Samuel 16:2–3, NIV

God had given Samuel an assignment, but He also addressed the very thing Samuel feared.

He gave him a way to proceed.

C. Elijah — “The journey is too much for you.”

Then there is Elijah.

After the great victory on Mount Carmel, Jezebel threatened his life.

The Bible says:

“Elijah was afraid and ran for his life.”1 Kings 19:3, NIV

He travelled into the wilderness, sat down under a broom bush and had had enough.

He was exhausted.

And God's first response to Elijah is interesting.

Elijah slept.

Then an angel touched him and said:

“Get up and eat.”1 Kings 19:5, NIV

There beside his head was bread and a jar of water.

Elijah ate, drank—and went back to sleep.

The angel returned a second time:

“Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.”1 Kings 19:7, NIV

God knew the journey was too much for him.

And before anything else, He attended to something very practical. He gave Elijah what he needed to continue the journey.

D. Sometimes, It May Be a Thought

Sometimes God does not speak as He did with Gideon and Samuel. Sometimes God's practical help may come as a thought—an idea, a possibility, a course of action that we had not previously considered.

There is an interesting story in 2 Kings 7 about four men with leprosy who were sitting outside the gate of Samaria during a terrible famine.

Their situation looked hopeless. If they went back into the city, there was famine there. If they remained where they were, they would die.

Then one of the simplest thoughts occurred to them:

“Why stay here until we die?”2 Kings 7:3, NIV

They began to consider another possibility:

“If we say, ‘We'll go into the city’—the famine is there, and we will die. And if we stay here, we will die. So let's go over to the camp of the Arameans and surrender.”2 Kings 7:4, NIV

So they got up and went.

What they did not know was that God was already at work.

“For the Lord had caused the Arameans to hear the sound of chariots and horses and a great army…”2 Kings 7:6, NIV

The Arameans fled, leaving everything behind.

The four men had simply considered another possibility and started walking towards the camp. But by the time they arrived, God had already made a way.

Their story reminds us that sometimes, in the middle of a situation that appears to have no way out, as Gordon Gilkey puts it, God's wisdom can emerge in our minds as “a new thought, a fresh insight, a reawakened memory.”

Indeed, our thoughts are worth paying attention to. They can sometimes become a means through which God guides and helps us.

A friend of mine once told me a remarkable story about how God delivered her from a full-blown crisis—one that almost cost her her home.

In the middle of the situation, she decided to seek God's face by going on a retreat where all she did was pray.

She said that on the third day of her retreat, while praying, a thought dropped into her mind: send an email to her former boss, who had since become a person of influence and whom she had not spoken to for at least five years.

She did.

In her words, “He was not compelled to help me, but God had gone ahead of me to touch his heart.”

And just like that, the crisis that had overwhelmed her and her family was averted, with apologies from the people involved.

Three days of retreat and prayer. One thought. Talk about “casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” (1 Peter 5:7, KJV)

What Does This Mean for Us?

God cares about the details of our lives.

He knows that we are human and can be full of doubts, worries and fears. And as we see in these stories, He knows when we need encouragement to do the next thing.

He has the resources to meet our needs and help us move past the fears and doubts—whatever they may be.

We may not be preparing to fight Midianites or secretly anointing Israel's next king. 😄 We may be trying to run a business, finish a degree, raise a family, make a difficult decision at work, complete a project, manage our finances, learn something new, or simply do the work that is before us.

And when what we are doing aligns with His purpose, God is interested in our success in it.

The same God who saw Gideon's fear and gave him encouragement, who gave Samuel a practical way to carry out his assignment, and who knew that Elijah needed food and rest before he could continue his journey, cares about what we are trying to accomplish too.

He does not leave us to figure everything out by ourselves. He has the resources to help us. He can give us wisdom, encouragement, strength, an idea, a fresh thought or a practical way forward.

We may not always know how God's help will come—through someone, a thought, or a call to action on our part. We may not know what the way through will look like.

But there is one thing we can always be sure of:

the love of God—a love which never fails.

And we can rest in the assurance that:

“The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.”Deuteronomy 33:27, NIV

God is in the details.

Reflection:

As You Go About Your Day…

Ask yourself:

1. What fears and doubts are plaguing me today?

   
   

2. Like Gideon and Samuel, have I asked God to give me a new idea, a fresh perspective or a way forward that I have not considered?

   
   

3. Like the four men with leprosy, what is the next immediate step I can take right now?

   
   

May the God of all wisdom, who gives to all generously, grant us wisdom, fresh insight and knowledge to complete the tasks before us. In Jesus' name. Amen.