God orders the attack: (Judges 7:9-11)

God orders Gideon to attack the Midianite camp. Also, He tells him that if he is still afraid to go down, he can go there simply to spy on them and make sure. Gideon goes down to spy and to listen to what they were saying, as God had directed him to do in the event that he was afraid. Meaning, he was still afraid.

Once again, we see that even after receiving the Holy Spirit and having already overcome some of his fears, Gideon still struggled with fear. This shows us that even when we have the Holy Spirit, fear can arise, but we now have God to guide us on how to overcome that fear. Also, if we obey His Word, we can overcome.

Gideon accepted that he was still afraid (he did not hide it) and obeyed God’s word by going down to the enemy camp. Again, God’s patience with Gideon’s limitations is remarkable. God remained patient because, from the start, though terrified, Gideon obeyed Him. This time, it was not Gideon who confesses his fear and asked God for a sign. It is God Himself who allows Gideon to have his fear mitigated.

God knows everything about us. He knows our deepest feelings and all our thoughts. There is no point trying to hide anything from Him. Yet He is completely willing to help us with whatever is needed to support us in our faith and overcome these limitations. The Holy Spirit is our Helper in all that we need to carry out His work. Such love and such patience!