Exercising Double Vision
we need this same double vision.
“Gideon, God is with you, you mighty man of valor!” said the angel of the Lord.
Gideon responded, “Are you saying God is with me? How can that be? What happened if God is for us? We hide in caves and mountains? Why are we starving to death if God is on our side? I know all the stories. My dad and granddad told me all about what God had done! Didn’t God bring us out of Egypt? But now God has forsaken us. The Midianites have total control over our country. They rob us blind.”
God said, “Get up and go in your strength and rescue Israel from the control of the Midianites.” Am I not sending you?”
“How will I save Israel, God? I do not even have weapons to fight. I come from a poverty stricken family and I am the runt of the family.”
God said, “I promise I will be there with you. You will strike down the Midianites like taking out one man!”
“I don’t measure up. You can’t choose me. The idea must be a dream. I need a sign, a miracle, to prove it’s you! Wait right here, please. I will bring you a present.”
God said, “I will wait on you!”
“I prepared you a tender goat, some bread, and soup!”
The angel said, “put the meat and bread on the rock. Pour out the soup!”
The angel touched the meat and bread with his rod. Fire came out of the rock and consumed it all.
“Wow, he was an angel from God. I saw an angel of God.”
God said, “Be at peace, do not be afraid; you will not die.”
Gideon built an altar to worship God and called it “God that gives peace.”
God said, “Gideon, take your dad’s seven-year-old bull, break down your dad’s altar to Baal, cut down the worship trees around his place of worship, and build me an altar and sacrifice your dad’s bull on the altar as you burn the wood from the trees he built to worship false gods.”
That night, Gideon and ten of his servants did what God said. He knew God was directing and protecting him, but he was still afraid, so they did it all while everyone slept.
“Who did all that?” The people asked. “Who could tear down the altar? Who would sacrifice that bull?”
The people said, “It was Gideon, the son of Joash! Get him out here so we can kill him. He has destroyed the altar to Baal and cutting down the worship trees.”
“Joash, bring out your son so we can kill him. He has committed a horrible crime, cutting down the worship trees and breaking the altar.”
Joash said, “Are you taking Baal’s side? You want to fight for and rescue an idol, a false god. I say if you want to fight for Baal, then you should die. If Baal is a veritable god, then he can fight for himself. If he is real, then he knows what happened.”
The Spirit of the Lord came on Gideon, and he sounded the trumpet calling God’s people to battle, but Gideon still doubted. God gave Gideon a wet fleece and a dry fleece, and he still doubted.
Finally, when Gideon goes down and hears the Midianites talking in their tent about their dreams, he believes. He will act on his belief, and God will do what He promised.
If we are to train people for leadership, we need this same double vision. God saw in Gideon precisely what he was as he crouched, threshing out his wheat. Gideon’s family condition was no surprise to God. God knew who Gideon was.
God knew what Gideon could be and what he would become. God sees both simultaneously the coward and the courageous, the faithless and the faithful man.
Double vision is our challenge as we train leaders. Often, what we see is quite discouraging. They don’t pay attention, follow instructions, follow through, or even show up.
They ask too many questions. They need too much proof. If they don’t do it fearfully, they don't do it at all.
A few double-vision steps.
- Ask God to help you see what they could become if God steps in and works.
- Do not demean them or make them feel less.
- Constantly encourage them
- Give them small steps to take to accomplish the work.
- Remind them it is not about them and their purpose, but about God and His purpose.
- Help others believe in them
- Wait, expecting God’s Spirit to come on them and use them
