Jael's My Girl!

Alright so #1 I’m pumped to be reading Judges with you guys (Brad and Shann) and thanks for starting over to wrestle through the odd names and places that this book contains – Shann I’m totally with you in regards to the pronunciation of these names. I think you would all get at least a little grin on your face hearing the way I pronounce them in my head. #2 I’m already excited about all the different characters that I’m reading about in Judges. As consistent with the way God works; it’s always these ordinary people doing extraordinary things that are outside of their character definitions. Let’s highlight a few shall we?
1- Ehud from the tribe of the Bennamites which ironically means “son of my right hand” – haha and he’s this left handed man who uses his abnormality to massacre the fat king. Did anyone else chuckle a little bit when it said the kings “dung came out” (verse 22)? Or am I just immature? And yes I did try to think of a clever name for what that would be called in the poo book.
2- Deborah- obvious one who’s playing a role outside of her cultural definitions as a woman. Was she actually considered one of the judges by all the Isrealites? Or just in retrospect the author noted that she judged them I wonder. Alan? Any insight onto this one?
3- Jael- She’s my girl! When I read about her it really made me pause to realize how she took advantage of the situation that was placed in her hands. She didn’t have time to think or plan – she just acted. I hope I would be that courageous.
4- Gideon- he claims in 6:15 that he’s from the weakest tribe and the least of his family and yet he’s used to defeat the oppressors of Israel
So anyway, all these people just got me thinking about how God always uses the people who don’t necessarily have the right “status” to do HUGE things. It made me pray today that God would use me to do things outside of the box that I live in. That he would give me his perspective and his eyes to help me see the potential that I have because He lives inside of me. We often talk about how we put God in a box, but let’s be honest in doing that, we also put ourselves in a box. We loose track of the power of the Holy Spirit that lives inside of us. Or at least I know I do.

Shannon, thanks for sharing your prayer for this year. I’ve had a couple of people prophecy over me that I would be a mother of the nations—sounds kind of lofty huh? I remember kind of rolling my eyes about it (awful of me to do I know). But I guess after what I just wrote, I need to stop thinking so small. I’m going to pray the same thing for you. That God uses you and your training to be a mother, not only for this little one that is inside of you, but also to train you to be a mother of the nations. He has given you a heart for the nations obviously and I will be praying that he only increases the passions that He has placed in your heart over this next year.

Alright I wish we could all be sitting around in your living room eating breakfast burritos and talking about Judges but alas for tonight I will just have to setting for our little cyber conversations J and be thankful for them! I love you all.

Oh and Alan, thanks for the song. I listened to it like 5 times while I was typing this.