Have you ever felt like hiding? Maybe some of you have heard the story of Gideon, one of Israel’s judges who ruled during a lawless time. As a child, I learned how Gideon fearfully hid from invaders at the bottom of a winepress (Judges 6-8).

Yet lately, I’ve been looking at Gideon’s story through a different lens: hiding and being hidden are not the same thing. The finished work of Jesus gave us a beautiful spiritual reality known as “hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3).

But hiding? Hiding is often a human reaction to fear and insecurity.

And this is exactly where we find Gideon when God knocks on the door of his hiding heart, and says, “Go with the strength you have and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you! (Judges 6:14)

How do we move from hiding into the adventure of faith? To begin, I believe we ask God to give grace to our “go.” Just ask Gideon. When the Lord commands Gideon to “go with the strength you have,” we might be tempted to imagine Gideon mustering his small strength for God. Or we might see this command as a “It’s time to man-up” locker-room speech from his coach.

But let’s face it: Gideon didn’t really have any personal strength of his own. Instead, I believe God was saying to him, “Go in the strength you don’t yet know you have—a strength you’ll discover on the way.”

We see this same strength in Jesus’ words to Paul: “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). God did not say that He made His strength slightly stronger or better. Instead, He makes His strength perfect—whole and complete—in our deepest weaknesses.

As a result, Paul cries out in response, “That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work worth through me” (2 Corinthians 12:10). What if our weaknesses led us to worship rather than worry, especially in a culture bent toward strength and perfection?

Let’s face it. Our culture tempts us to boast about our strengths and accomplishments rather than our weaknesses or wounds. Honestly, I have never once posted online, “When I speak, I feel like I am going to toss my cookies! Drop a heart!” I’m not saying that we should post every vulnerable experience, but the point is: we’re expected to curate all of the highlights of our lives for public consumption.

And yet, it is our weakness that draws God’s strength. The longer I walk with Jesus, the more I believe that He makes far more use of my consecrated weaknesses than He does of my strengths.

When the noise quiets inside, I hear God’s invitation: Come out of hiding.

Go in the strength you have that you don’t fully know you have yet—a more confident, secured strength than you ever dared to dream of because its very source is Me.

Friend, insecurity doesn’t have the final say over your life; Jesus does. And in Him, you’re going to make it—eternally secure and safe.

In Jesus, we don’t have to hide anymore. Just ask Gideon.

*For deeper reflection, listen to Judges 6 today!

Enjoy our inspiring interview with Allison today!

Adapted From: Seen, Secure, Free: How a Life Hidden With Christ Strengthens and Transforms You. W Publishing, 2024; All Rights Reserved