“The RoseBouquet”

You have a really great idea, but did God give you that idea, or is it a false tangent to His plan and purposes for your life?

If you have chased after some dreams only to discover they take you off the path of God’s better plan, and if you are committed to doing His will and pleasing Him above all others, then a new plan can present a dilemma.

Especially if, like me, you have a vivid imagination and ideas come unbidden all the time. Sometimes God Himself inspires them, but sometimes they are only my ‘cute idea.’ They always look appealing and have terrific value, but how do you discern if you should go for it, or whether you should hold back and keep the ground you’ve gained already?

A solution that quickly comes to mind is the one in the story of Gideon, in Judges, chapter 6, the Bible. Have you read that? An angel came to him with a fantastic idea that he should rally an army and get rid of the Midianites who were camped around Israel, and raiding their crops. But Gideon was a cautious fellow, and knew he was considered the runt of his family, so would anyone listen to him?

He was a man of prayer though, so he asked God to confirm this with a minor miracle. He would lay out a sheep’s fleece over night and in the morning, - if God was behind this daring plan and really wanted him to carry it out - the fleece on the threshing floor should have dew on it, but everything around it be dry.

It was. He could wring out that fleece and practically fill a bucket with the dew-water. But everything around it was dry. Unusual.

Gideon had not finished with all the angles. Maybe that could have happened naturally. (Or someone came and drenched it). He begged God to let him try again. This time he would ask for a bigger miracle. He’d lay the fleece out again, but this time God should keep the fleece dry and dew everywhere else around it.

Again it was as he asked. God had not scolded him either time, but gave timid Gideon the encouragement to trust for the biggest miracle he would witness, the routing and destruction of the whole Midianite army camp. He obeyed and just used the clever idea of torches hidden in clay pots, and trumpets to make a lot of noise. His small gang of volunteers spread themselves in a circle around the enemy camp, and at one signal, dropped the clay pots, and blasted their horns. All that light and noise caused the Midianites to panic and kill each other.

I’ve heard preachers say that Gideon did wrong to ask for confirmation from God. He should just have believed straight-away. I beg to differ. I can identify with Gideon. When I get wild and wonderful ideas I can get so enthused. But I’ve made a few bad moves, so I’ve learned to be cautious and to seek confirmation when I realize there are great consequences at stake.

One prime example comes to mind. After Mom died I wanted to pursue self-publishing my novel, and reading about the internet, it caught my fancy. But did God want me to do that? After much prayer I decided to ask for something that would require a minor miracle. Mom had said I could have her china cabinet. I knew she had once paid over $700 for it, and I needed that kind of money towards a computer that could go online to the world wide net. I also needed that cabinet out of my way for my desk. Dad was sure I would never find a buyer willing to pay $700 for that cabinet. I insisted that if I got that much, I would KNOW that I should get a computer and teach myself to publish online.

I couldn’t afford to pay for classified ads, but I created some posters and put them up on bulletin boards of the local restaurants and service stations. Before too long a young woman came to see the cabinet and she thought $700 was very reasonable. She and her husband were going to move to his parents’ farm near Christmas, so she would send some men for it then. They came on Christmas Eve, and I got my check for $700.

I was online by the end of January 1999, and look what a long ways I’ve come since then!

So while I don’t recommend laying out of fleeces willy-nilly about every little decision you want to make, God is not offended if you ask Him for confirmation when a large decision looms before you, and you are more afraid of disobeying God than anything else.

I’m laying one out myself these days…. I want to make sure before I make a bold business start.

Read sample chapters of my first novel online, starting at the index

Order the e-book to download and read on your computer; Order Page (or if you email me, we can make a deal and I’ll send it to you on CD).

You can order the softcover paperback from Booklocker.com