Embrace Weakness

Sunday Teaching

Feb 11

The full video of this teaching is available at the bottom of this post and this link.

ISRAEL IS IN TROUBLE AGAIN!

The Israelites messed up—again.

They had this cycle. God rescues them, they do well for a while, then they forget, wander off into idol worship, and everything falls apart. And this time? It was bad.

For seven years, the Midianites didn’t just oppress Israel—they devoured them. No matter how hard they worked, when harvest came, so did the enemy. Every harvest season, like clockwork, the Midianites and their allies would roll in like a swarm of locusts. Camels, tents, warriors. They’d take everything. Crops? Gone. Sheep, goats, cattle, donkeys? Gone.

Israel ran—into caves, mountains, anywhere to hide. But it wasn’t just oppression; it was slow, sure starvation. No matter how hard they worked, survival felt impossible.

So finally, Israel does what they always do at the breaking point—they cry out to God.

And He listens.

I love Judges 6:7-10, where God basically says to Israel the same thing we all love to say to our kids: “I told you so!”

THEN WE MEET GIDEON

In Judges 6-8, we meet Gideon. And when we meet him? He’s not exactly screaming mighty warrior. He’s threshing wheat—in a winepress. Now, if that sounds odd, it is. Normally, you thresh wheat out in the open so the wind can carry away the chaff. But Gideon? He’s hunched down, hiding, trying to keep what little grain he has from the Midianites. More chihuahua under a blanket than a Malinois on a mission.

That’s when the angel of the Lord shows up.

And what does He say? Not “Hey there, scared farmer.” Not “Why are you hiding?” But this:

“Mighty hero, the Lord is with you!” (Judges 6:12)

Mighty. Hero.

You can almost hear Gideon scoff. Seriously?

Because from where he’s sitting, Israel is abandoned. The Midianites are wiping them out, and God is nowhere to be found.

And the angel? He doesn’t argue. Doesn’t explain. Just says, “Go with the strength you have, and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you!” (Judges 6:14)

That’s it. No battle plan. No signs. Just a scared guy in a hole, and God saying, I see something in you that you don’t see in yourself.

“But Lord,” Gideon replied, “how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least in my entire family!” (Judges 6:15)

The Lord said to him, “I will be with you. And you will destroy the Midianites as if you were fighting against one man.” (Judges 6:16)

Weakness. What God is asking Gideon to do is something the Israelites would expect Him to ask out of strength—a seasoned warrior from Judah, a leader from Ephraim, a commander from Benjamin. Someone with credentials. Someone who actually looks like they could pull this off. But God? He calls the guy hiding in a hole. The weakest. The least likely. The last pick for this kind of job.

I LOVE STRENGTHS

Gideon reminds us that sometimes—not always, but at specific moments—God calls us to step into our weaknesses. Not to watch us struggle. Not to set us up for failure. But for a season, for a purpose, He asks us to embrace what feels impossible because He’s about to do something undeniable. When people see you thriving in an area where you should be sinking, when they watch you operate with strength you don’t have, they’re left with only one conclusion—this has to be God.

MY EXPERIENCE IN WEAKNESS

I was a terrible student. Not just bad—terrible. In-school suspension, out-of-school suspension, detentions. And not just for behavior—academics, too. I limped out of high school with a 1.1 GPA. Scored a 17 on the ACT—too low for college admission. So, I started college on academic probation. No warm-up. No second chances. Just prove yourself or get out.

And oh man, I proved myself. First semester: four D’s and a B. That B? Biology lab. And let’s be honest—it had nothing to do with my academic ability and everything to do with my lab partner, who just so happened to be Miss Teen Ohio the year before. I gave all my effort in that biology lab, not to pass, but to avoid looking like a complete idiot in front of her.

And then—God calls me to lead people through the teaching of His Word. A spiritual calling, sure. But one wrapped in academics. Writing. Study. The exact things I was worst at.

And yet—here we are.

If you’ve ever read my writing, listened to my teaching, or sat through one of my sermons, you’ve seen it. God using my weakness to reveal His strength.

BACK TO GIDEON

In Judges 7, Gideon gathers an army—32,000 men ready to fight. But God says, Too many. If Israel wins with these numbers, they’ll think they did it themselves. So, God tells Gideon to send home anyone who’s afraid. 22,000 walk away.

Still too many.

So, God trims it down again—this time using how the men drink water. And just like that, Gideon is left with 300. Against an army so massive, it’s described as thick as locusts, with camels like grains of sand on the seashore. (Judges 7:12)

And then, the battle plan. No swords. No shields. Just torches, clay jars, and trumpets. They surround the Midianite camp in the dead of night, smash the jars, raise the torches, and blow the trumpets. Chaos erupts. The Midianites panic, turning on each other in the darkness. By the time it's over, they’re running for their lives.

No military strategy. No overwhelming force. Just a weak man leading a small, outnumbered army—and God making it painfully clear that this victory is all His.

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

Let’s be clear—you should operate in your strengths. That’s how God designed you. That’s how churches are built, businesses run, teams win, and families thrive. But at the same time? Stay open. Stay ready. Because there will be moments—specific moments—when God taps you on the shoulder and asks you to step into something you know you can’t do on your own.

Because that’s what we’re talking about—those undeniable moments when God says, serve here for a bit. Right in that place where you feel the weakest. Watch what I do.

Maybe you’re the one who never speaks up in meetings, but then God nudges you to share something with your team—something that, if you’re honest, you’d rather keep to yourself. And somehow, that is what changes the conversation.

Maybe you’re the parent who has never felt qualified to disciple your kids, but one day, God puts it on your heart to start praying with them every night. And weeks later, your child starts asking deeper questions about faith—because you showed up, even in your insecurity.

Maybe you’re the one who has avoided leadership your whole life, but then someone asks you to step up. Lead a small group. Mentor someone younger. You feel unqualified. Underprepared. But God is asking—so you step forward. And suddenly, you’re pouring into others in ways you never thought possible.

Maybe—just maybe—you’re the Gideon in this season. And God is calling you, not because you’re strong, but because you’re not. So that when the dust settles, and the battle is won, and you’re standing there shaking your head at how it even worked—there’s only one explanation.

This has to be God.

And that? That’s the best place to be.

Greg McNichols