The Lord loves and rescues people.
He delivers us from our enemies. He pulls us out of our own situations. He redeems us from our own choices. It is His specialty. He deIights in writing His story in us!
I, Janna, am one of those people who was rescued out of my own situation. Now, I help other women know this God Who calls each of us “Mighty Warrior.” He loves us more than we can imagine.
“Mighty Warrior?” I hear you ask. Allow me to explain.
In the Bible—in the book of Judges, chapter 6 to be exact—the story is told of Gideon. He was working tirelessly and hiding from his oppressors. It’s easy to imagine he was a bit on edge already because of the continuous strife facing his nation.
Out of nowhere, a heavenly messenger visited him. He greeted Gideon and challenged him with saving God’s people.
As you can understand, Gideon was taken aback. He essentially replied:
“Uh, pardon me?”
Picture Steve Urkel when you picture Gideon. He was not your “go-to” guy for winning in a battle of any size. Gideon was—even by his own description—“the least in his family.” He was also from the weakest clan of the tribes of Israel.
Yet through the words of the heavenly messenger, Gideon heard God ask him to save His people from the tyranny of the evil, relentless oppressors.
Gideon hadn’t done anything of importance yet at this point in his life. He was just trying to get by and survive. (Plus, his résumé didn’t look so great.)
But here is the first thing God said to him through His messenger:
“The Lord is with you, Mighty Warrior.”
In his own eyes, Gideon was not mighty nor was he a warrior. Once again, Gideon (perhaps rolling his weary eyes) essentially said:
“Uh, pardon me?”
Gideon possibly thought to himself “what did He just call me?” as he looked around the room for someone else.
I can definitely relate to how Gideon felt at that time. Here are some names I used to call myself:
“Weak”
“Worthless”
“Pathetic”
I have scars on my arm—the result of my own choices and the desperation of my old life. You see, I was once a cutter.
But now, when I look down at my faded scars I see what the Lord calls me:
“Healed”
“Rescued”
He calls me “Mighty Warrior” too. Just like in the story of Gideon, it is certainly not because of who I am but because of His power of redemption!
Each time I look for those faint marks on my arms I am greeted with His strong words, now emblazoned upon my body:
Just as He did with Gideon, the Lord has given me a calling and a vision. His mission for me is to give other women the powerful, good news that God loves them too.
My God calls them and me “Mighty Warrior!”
What is your calling? What vision is God creating in you? Perhaps you need to be encouraged that God loves you. Indeed, He delights in writing His story in us.
We would love to hear from you about the story that God is writing in your life!