Imagine Gideon’s path—from hiding in a winepress, to getting a call to lead his country in battle, to asking for God’s confirmation, and then finally mustering troops to bear arms and fight.

32,000 men said yes to Gideon’s leadership. 32,000 were prepared to fight against Midian, for the sake of their freedom and for the freedom of their families.

32,000 men who were willing to fight 120,000 Midianites—all because Gideon had faith that God would keep His promises and give Israel victory.

If I’m Gideon, I would be tempted to go back to the winepress and ask someone else to lead. After all, who wants to take those odds when you consider the troop count?

But Gideon stays, and God speaks:

“Your army is too big.”

Gideon, FaithNathan WestwickApril 9, 2024Anxiety, How God Sees Us, Questions, Risk-Taking, Stepping OutComment

Gideon Part 2: The Fleece

Gideon’s fleece may be one of the more colloquially quoted stories that Christians use. You see, Gideon was called out by the angel of God as a mighty warrior—one who would lead Israel against the Midianites (the ones stealing all of their food). But like you or me, Gideon was afraid.

Afraid he might not have what it takes to lead a country in battle. He was a man of faith, but even the mighty warriors feel inadequate when God calls.

It’s what makes us human.

But the good news is that God knows this.

GideonNathan WestwickApril 9, 2024Faith, My Own Shortcomings, Playing It Safe, QuestionsComment

Why I Choose to Follow Jesus

I don’t have any compelling introductory paragraph to offer. I figure the title kind of speaks for itself, so let’s dive straight in:

Why do I choose to follow Jesus?

Well, let’s start this thought exercise at the gym…

Does God Even Care?

This weekend, I attended a funeral service for a child who never got the chance to take her first breath. She was near full-term, but never got the chance to meet her parents or her grandparents. She will never get to see a sunrise, experience laughter, or have her feet tickled while she giggles.

Now, I know a common question is: Why would God allow something like this to happen?

God Saw You Do That

While driving through town the other day, I came across this sign: “GOD SAW YOU DO THAT”

Ah, Christians can be so interesting sometimes, can’t they?

God saw you do that.

It’s a proclamation of judgement, something that says you better watch your back, isn’t it?

Faith, Fighting for What's GoodNathan WestwickOctober 22, 2019Bettering the World, Feeling small, Love, Truth, QuestionsComment

Does It Even Matter Anymore?

I was driving down the 210 Freeway the other day stuck in the state of unfettered joy that is Southern California rush hour traffic (don’t tell me you can’t relate). You know, the kind of traffic where texting while driving is probably legal; where you get the privilege of studying the nuances of any and all scratches, dents, or other blemishes in the cars around you; where your desire for listening to yet one more podcast about business, spiritual development, or anything else for that matter has died a slow and painful death; where all you want to do is move out to the prairie, learn a new dialect, and watch cows in the pasture.

And I don’t even like cows, which shows you how much I hate SoCal traffic.

Business, Faith, The Stuff That MattersNathan WestwickSeptember 28, 2017Truth, Questions, Live With Significance Comment

nathanwestwick.com