Men of Valor: Gideon, A Mighty Man

by David Chadwick

Some years ago, my wife, Marilynn, wrote a book called “Woman of Valor.” The concept of becoming women of valor has become a theme very near and dear to her heart. Her book has recently been revised and she and I both feel it has very much been written for these days in which we are living!

Valor is a character trait that God’s people must develop. I want to continue to build on last week’s women of valor theme and look at several men of valor. We are going to start by looking at the story of Gideon, a man who God called a mighty man of valor.

You will find Gideon’s story in Judges 6. The Midianites overtook Israel and placed them in bondage. One of the things the Midianites would often do is swoop down on Israel during the harvest season and steal all of the food they had harvested. Aware of the Midianites’ evil tendencies, Gideon hid as he sought to harvest his food.

Suddenly, as Gideon was hiding, an angel of the Lord came to him. Some wonder if this appearance was a theophany - an appearance of Jesus in the Old Testament. The angel of the Lord looked at him and said, “The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor.” The word valor means courageous. Strong.

Gideon was acting in the opposite of valor when the Lord referred to him as a mighty man of valor. Yet that’s the beauty of this story. God does not look at who someone is, but who they can become. God did not see a coward. He saw a mighty warrior inside of Gideon. He prophesied and Gideon rose up to be exactly that: a mighty man of valor.

Ultimately, Gideon ended up being the one to mobilize the Israelites’ army of 300 (against the Midianite army of 32,000!) and defeat them. Gideon became a renowned judge of Israel, tore down the primary altar of the godless Baal, and is looked at today as a man of valor.

I pray that each of you will learn to see yourself as God sees you. Not the world. Not others. Inside of you there just may be locked up a mighty warrior!

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To order a copy of Woman of Valor, Discovering the Courage and Strength God Gave You, by Marilynn Chadwick, please click here.

Women of Valor: Love Makes us Brave

by Marilynn Chadwick

I agree with Indiana Jones: “I hate snakes!” Maybe some of you share my distaste for these slithery reptiles.

A while back, when cleaning our garage, our son found a small copperhead hiding behind a box. My first response was, “Yikes! Go hide!” My next thought was, “Go get ‘em!”

I grabbed the nearest gardening tool and went after that snake with a warrior-like vengeance, sending him into the grave! Why? Because he was in my garage…near my kitchen door…a threat to my home and family! Though I’m scared of snakes, my love for my family made me brave.

Maybe you can relate. Is there a time when you did something that scared you in order to protect someone you loved? If so, you were showing courage, or what the Bible often refers to as valor.

As you have learned by now, I’m captivated by the Hebrew word for valor, chayil. In the Orthodox Jewish Bible translation, chayil is used to describe the famed Proverbs 31 woman. “Who can find a woman of valor?” (Proverbs 31:10). Clearly, she was part nurturer and part warrior.

Chayil is used to describe David’s mighty men of valor. It is also used to describe a reluctant hero named Gideon. Simply put, “valor,” or chayil, is personal bravery in the face of danger—especially courage in battle. In its nearly 100 uses in the Old Testament, chayil most often depicts warriors.

I believe we need to become courageous men and women of valor as we face today’s battles: addiction, divorce, poverty, injustice, domestic violence, child abuse, abortion, poverty, unemployment, pornography, human trafficking, joblessness, homelessness, racism, persecution, terrorism. I’m sure you could add to this list.

As I listen to conversations with men and women of all ages, stages, and walks of life, I’m hearing a recurring theme —their heart’s desire to be strong for their families and communities. In short, they long to be courageous so God can use them to change the world.

Is God calling you to have more courage? Remember, it’s love that makes you brave.

I pray that God’s daughters reclaim what it looks like to walk biblically as women of valor!

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This Moment of Hope is adapted from Woman of Valor, Discovering the Courage and Strength God Gave You, by Marilynn Chadwick. For more inspiration or to order the newly Revised Edition of this book, please click here.

Women of Valor: A Warrior Mom

by Marilynn Chadwick

I still marvel when I remember the beautiful young mother I once met in a tiny country in a forgotten corner of the world. She was a survivor of the horrific genocide in Burundi that had exploded alongside Rwanda’s frenzy of killings.

I’d been invited to teach on the subject of prayer to a group of church leaders and pastors' wives. All were survivors of the war and no strangers to prayer. So I asked if any had personal stories to tell. One by one, the women stood and shared stirring accounts of God’s miraculous power during times of great danger.

Finally, this young mother rose to her feet and began her story. She had eight children, she told us, and lived in the countryside. One day she left her children in the care of a neighbor so she could gather vegetables. Later that day, her neighbor rushed out to tell her that her two-year-old son had suddenly fallen ill and died. She paused—then haltingly resumed her story.

“Desperate and afraid, I suddenly remembered how Elijah prayed for the widow’s little boy who died,” she said. “The boy finally came back to life.” So I cried out to God, “You did it for Elijah—do it for me!” She prayed and prayed and prayed. “Finally,” she said quietly, “I could not look at my son any longer, so I went outside.” She faltered for words.

By this point, I’m thinking of what to say to her. How do I comfort this woman who had obviously lost her child? And how do we respond when our prayers are not answered the way we want? However, I was not prepared for what happened next.

“I went back inside,” she continued slowly. “But this time, when I put my hands on my little boy’s lifeless body and began to pray, he suddenly coughed and sputtered and sat up—he was alive!”

A hush fell over the room. I was face-to-face with an ordinary mother who lived oceans away from me. But I knew I was in the presence of a woman of great faith. A true warrior. A hero.

Now, you may be thinking, Her little boy wasn’t really dead. Or Why didn't God heal my sick child? A story like this raises many questions for which I don’t have answers. But I do know this: In a place like Burundi, where they have tasted death up close and where doctors are nearly nonexistent, believers sometimes experience a dimension of God’s grace I seldom see in my safe, suburban world. I’ve heard similar stories firsthand from war refugees in the Middle East and slum dwellers in India. Such women remind me that faith is a fierce fight.

I walked away from that encounter in awe, but also challenged. I realize God doesn’t always heal or deliver or raise someone from the dead. But I was inspired by the way this young mother fought for the life of her child. She was courageous. Persistent. And she encouraged me to keep on fighting the fight of faith, even when things may look hopeless—and to never be too quick to give up on God.

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This Moment of Hope is adapted from Woman of Valor, Discovering the Courage and Strength God Gave You, by Marilynn Chadwick. For more inspiration or to order the newly Revised Edition of this book, please click here.