Oblivious to the Obvious

Have you been known to ignore the obvious?

As I surf the web, I ran across this joke the other day…maybe you’ve heard it:

One evening, after a long day of roaming the prairie and fighting for the cause of the just and the good, the Lone Ranger and his trusty sidekick Tonto set up camp in the desert. After a hearty meal, the two set up their tent, climb inside, and fall fast asleep. A couple of hours later, the Lone Ranger awakes with a shock! Disturbed but still drowsy, he rolls over and wakes his faithful friend.
He asks him, "Tonto, look up and tell me what you see."
Sleepily, Tonto replies, "Me see millions of stars."
"What does that tell you?" impatiently asks The Lone Ranger.
Tonto ponders for a minute...
"Astronomically speaking,” thoughtfully replied Tonto, “it tells me that there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets.
Astrologically, it tells me that Saturn is in Leo.
Time wise, it appears to be approximately a quarter past three.
Theologically, it's evident the Lord is all powerful and we are small and insignificant.
Meteorologically, it seems we will have a beautiful day tomorrow.
What it tell you, Kemo Sabi?"
The Lone Ranger is silent for a moment, and then says condescendingly, "Tonto, you dummy, someone has stolen our tent!"

Ha Ha. But as silly as that little story is, we all know the inherent message to be true; we tend to miss the obvious. People look for hours on end for a set of keys that are in the ignition where they left them. Another is dumbfounded at the location of their glasses, only to discover them on top of their heads. Still yet in similar fashion, we look around, wonder and scratch our heads, searching for God and His movement in the world – when all the while, he’s working and acting and changing all around us. From our lost keys to our search for the Lord, one thing remains constant: evidence exists for those who have eyes to see it…even those with the poorest of vision!

For Gideon, one thing was quite clear – Israel was being oppressed and the “Almighty God” was no where to be seen. Yet, through a series of obvious encounters with the Lord, Gideon’s eyes were finally opened to a greater truth at work; God was indeed busy with the salvation of Israel and he was going to be God’s instrument!

In our worship this week, make it a point to find yourself being very aware of the work of God in the world in which you operate. Have you seen Him there before? If not, why didn’t you? And as you encounter His handiwork and presence in each circumstance, give him the glory for what He’s doing and pledge your eyes to be forever opened to what He’s accomplishing in and around and through you.

Resounding Themes:
Opening Our Eyes to the Almighty
Testing and Discovering God’s Favor
God is above All gods
Clean Heart, Ready Feet

Ready, Set, READ

Judges 6:1-40

Ready, Set, MEDITATE

- Once again, where do we find the Israelites? Has God grown weary of their fickleness? Why or Why Not? Who/how does God remind them of the obvious things they’d so quickly forgotten?

- What obvious manner does God choose to engage Gideon? Why is God’s greater plan hard for Gideon to see? What are the challenges? What excuses do we usually give God for being able to see His obvious call to us? How does God respond?

- Weary of his encounter, what does Gideon ask of the angel for obvious proof of his authority and promises? How does the Lord respond to his testing? How does Gideon respond to God?

- After believing the Lord, what does Gideon do to show his faithfulness? Was this risky? Why? As God revealed his plan to Gideon, what test, again, does he require of the Lord? Was it obvious? Still, did Gideon see? Do we test the Lord and His will? Are we so bold to ask the Lord for obvious signs that we are in His will? If not, is our unwillingness a sign of our unfaithfulness or simply our inability to see the obvious?

Ready, Set, PRAY

O Great Revealer! We give You the eternal praise and glory for the manner in which You have peeled back the veil of darkness and showed us the beauty of Your creating power. For just as You tell the sun where to rise and set, so too You direct our lives in such a way that give You praise! Your handiwork is as obvious as the nose on our face and our exhaled breath on a crisp winter night. For in Your Word, You tell us that, eventually, none of us has an excuse to miss Your presence in the world as witnessed through Your intricate creation. Open our eyes O Righteous One! May we see and taste that You are good! And may we relish in the security that comes only from being alongside – in presence and in mission – the Make of the Universe. Father, as blind Bartimaeus on the side of the road, may we, in faith, come seeking the blessing of seeing the obvious You! This is our humble request through Jesus, AMEN.

Ready, Set, WORSHIP!