A WORD FOR TODAY, November 7, 2025
Peggy Hoppes
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Blessings. Peg
A WORD FOR TODAY, November 7, 2025
“Trust in Yahweh with all your heart, and don’t lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Don’t be wise in your own eyes.” Proverbs 3:5-6, WEB
Have you ever asked God for clarity. “Lord, I’ll do whatever you ask, but please make it clear that this is really from you.” I have done this many times in my life. I ask God for a sign. “Show me I’m going the right way.” I confess that I’m a little jealous of Biblical characters like Gideon whose prayers are answered so clearly. Take Gideon, for example. In Judges 6, God calls Gideon to lead the people of Israel, but Gideon doesn’t know how he could possibly be the right guy. “Oh, Lord. Me? How?” God assures him that He will be with him. Gideon said, “If now I have found favor in your sight, then show me a sign that it is you who talk with me.” He made a cake for the messenger delivering this call and the messenger accepted the offering. The reality of the encounter frightened Gideon, but God said, “Peace be to you! Don’t be afraid.” God often reminds us not to be afraid and to have peace in our hearts. He has commanded that of me when I’m wishing He would be clear.
So, the encounter between Gideon and God went on as God commanded Gideon to destroy the false gods and build an altar to sacrifice to God. Gideon did as he was told, but the people of that city were angry. “Give us your son for a sacrifice!” They wanted to appease their gods. Gideon called Israel to gather to fight their enemies. Still Gideon was not sure he was doing what God intended. Gideon asked God for clarity. “Lord, I’ll do whatever you ask, but please make it clear that this is really from you.” He asked God to show him a sign. “If this is you, make the dew fall on this piece of fleece, but let the ground be dry.” God answered this prayer, the fleece was wet and the ground was dry, something that could only happen by the hand of God. Despite this proof, Gideon asked again. “If this is you, make the dew fall on the ground, but let the fleece be dry.” God answered this prayer, too. Then, and only then, Gideon believed and went out to fight Israel’s enemies. He believed that God would be with him and would be faithful.
If only God would answer my prayers so clearly. In another story, God shows His providence clearly to Abraham’s servant. Abraham was very old, a hundred and thirty-seven years. He knew his time was growing short, and his son Isaac was not yet married. He was afraid that Isaac would choose a local girl like his half-brother Ishmael, so he sent his servant to his family to find a wife for Isaac among his own people. The servant was uncertain. “What if they won’t let her come?” he asked Abraham. Abraham trusted in God’s providence. The servant went hundreds of miles with an abundance of gifts. When he arrived at the right area, he prayed. Now, the servant referred to God as “my master’s God,” so he may not have even been a believer. Yet, he prayed a very specific prayer. “God of my master, let the woman you choose for my master, offer to water my camels when I ask for water.” Even as he was praying, Rebecca arrived on the scene and did exactly what the servant wanted. Still, the servant wondered. “The man looked steadfastly at her, remaining silent, to know whether Yahweh had made his journey prosperous or not.” (Genesis 24:21, WEB) When he asked about her family, she was from the right family. He gave her the usual gifts in contemplation of marriage. The family agreed and Rebecca went with the servant. It was love at first sight when Isaac and Rebecca met.
If only God would be so clear when I want to know if I was going the right way. God doesn’t seem to make the fleece wet for me. He doesn’t seem to put the right person in my path. I always wonder if I am really doing what He intends. Perhaps I don’t get these kinds of answers because I don’t ask the way Gideon or the servant asked. I don’t get so specific. I just ask for signs. And perhaps He does give me signs that I don’t really understand at the time.
Abraham was one hundred and thirty-seven years old when he sent his servant home to find a wife for Isaac. Abraham looked back on his life and saw God’s hand throughout. Things happened just as God intended for them to happen. I can look back on my life and see similar things, moments when God’s hand is obvious in my life. I didn’t always recognize them at the time, but I can see God really does lead and guide me as I make decisions about my life. He really does give me signs, though they aren’t as miraculous as Gideon. They are more like the servant’s experience, divine appointments that we don’t expect but are clearly God’s work.
I like to call these things God-incidences. God-incidences are moments that the world might call luck or coincidence, but people of faith see God’s hand in the midst of them. The proverb reminds us to trust in God with our whole hearts and to acknowledge Him in all we do. Perhaps I’m blind to the moments and wish God spoke with more clarity, but God can be glorified in our lives even when we don’t realize how near He is. He can accomplish amazing things with the most unexpected people and circumstances. He shows us stories like Gideon and the servant, not to make us jealous of the way He dealt with them, but to remind us how amazing He is. We just have to watch and believe, acknowledging that He is in the midst of it all. God doesn’t always do things miraculously. As a matter of fact, He usually does things simply, according to the natural world in which we live. If we look for God’s hand in the ordinary experiences of our lives and trust that He is guiding us to walk in His ways, we will discover that He is always proving His faithfulness to us over and over again.
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