Fleece

Is it ok to question God?
Is it ok to test what you think God's leading you to do?
Is it ok to wonder if you're hearing God correctly?
Is it ok to ask God to prove Himself?

Enter Gideon and his fleece.

In Judges 6, God comes and has a little chat with Gideon saying that He is going to use Gideon to rescue the Israelites from Midian. Gideon flat out sees the LORD face to face, and yet he still questions God and asks Him to prove Himself...and not just once, but twice.

Then Gideon said to God, “If you are truly going to use me to rescue Israel as you promised, prove it to me in this way. I will put a wool fleece on the threshing floor tonight. If the fleece is wet with dew in the morning but the ground is dry, then I will know that you are going to help me rescue Israel as you promised." And that is just what happened. When Gideon got up early the next morning, he squeezed the fleece and wrung out a whole bowlful of water. 

Then Gideon said to God, “Please don’t be angry with me, but let me make one more request. Let me use the fleece for one more test. This time let the fleece remain dry while the ground around it is wet with dew." So that night God did as Gideon asked. The fleece was dry in the morning, but the ground was covered with dew.

I've come up on two different sides of this coin. On one hand, there have been times when I've thrown caution to the wind, plowed full steam ahead, and run after what I think is best. I think it has to be what God's best is for me, because for all intents and purposes it looks good on the surface. And honestly, there's nothing even wrong with it. It really is good. But I've never stopped to consult with God on the matter. I've never given Him the opportunity to speak into the situation. I've never asked Him if it really is what He's calling me to do. I've never asked Him to prove Himself. And then I've found out that what I thought was His voice, really was just my voice telling me what I wanted to hear.

There have also been times when I've over analyzed. I've asked God to show me what He wants me to do. I've prayed. I've poured over the Scriptures. I've asked for signs. I've questioned if it's God speaking, or if it's just me trying to convince myself. I've mulled it over. Talked to other people. Tested the waters time and time and time again. After all that, I've still felt the same call on my life, but then I didn't do anything. I didn't take any action. I remained in my comfort zone...still waiting for God to prove Himself...when, in reality, He already had. I was just too afraid or just too plain comfortable to follow.

I believe that it's not only wise, but it's also necessary to seek God's direction in our lives. It's foolish to come to rash conclusions without consulting Him first. Decisions should be made with prayerful consideration combined with affirmation from His Word. And setting before Him a "seemingly impossible, only God could do this" fleece of a test can sometimes be the most prudent and godly action we can take. But, in conjunction, I also believe that if you're going to test Him, then you also better be ready to take action and follow Him.

The very next verse that follows Gideon's fleece test reads: Gideon and his army got up early and went. Gideon didn't go and ask other people what they thought. He didn't keep thinking about it. He didn't over analyze.

Gideon asked for a sign.
God answered Gideon.
Gideon went.
End of story.

Actually, that's not the end of the story. It's just the beginning. The rest of Judges 7 tells of how God used Gideon to defeat the Midianites. God worked through Gideon to rescue the Israelites just like He promised He would.

So go ahead. Ask God to prove Himself. Lay out your fleece before Him. But when He speaks, make sure you're ready to respond. He's going to work through you just like He promised He would!

I've seen how God has specifically answered the prayers one of my former pastors more than once as he's placed his fleece before God with an open heart and feet ready for action. (You can read his blog posts here and here.) I just love how God continues to speak to us today and show us His will.