Gideon-test the universe
"Gideon said to God, 'Do not be angry with me. Allow me one more test with the fleece, but this time make the fleece dry and let the ground be covered with dew.' That night God did so." (Judges 6:39-40)
In the book of Judges, the Israelites had offended God (quelle surprise!) and had to flee into mountains because their oppressors, the Midianites, plundered them frequently.
When the Israelites prayed, God just said "LOL" and hung up.
It was against this backdrop that an angel said hello to a young man secretly working with grain so the Midianites wouldn't find and seize it.
The young timid farmer named Gideon vented at this stranger. If God is with us, he said with ripe vehemence, why do the Midianites deplete our aura?
Gideon was difficult to convince, and it stood to reason: God had not been speaking to the Israelites for quite a while. Now, here he was, in the form of an angel, saying "I have decided to save Israel, and I will do it through you. You will deplete the Midianites of aura".
The young lad pressed 'X' for doubt.
So he set God to task. Gave him a series of tests that would only be achievable by someone who can bend the very fabric of the universe.
And he saw that the Lord was with him, and he went forth. And when his heart was aflutter, he set God to task again.
I am heartened by this story, and it's often my favorite way to seek assurance when I venture into mildly obfuscated territory, where I cannot follow the path by feeling the stones.
Gideon-test the universe.
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Tinkerer building while thinking.