We often find ourselves complaining about problems and challenges around us. The words of Captain Jack Sparrow come to mind: “The problem is not the problem. The problem is your attitude about the problem”. Seeing the problem, but somehow wishing or thinking that somebody from somewhere will step up to fix it is the wrong attitude. Let us be clear: you are not going to fix everything or everyone. You are not all-powerful. However, there are certain problems out there that you ought to take responsibility for. If you cannot stop thinking about it, then you ought to do something about it. You might not think you are able to do something about it, but you are wrong.
For a long time, Gideon (the biblical character) had thought about the economic oppression in his days. He wondered, “Please, my Lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our fathers recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has forsaken us and given us into the hand of Midian.” (Judges 6:13 ESV). It was however revealed that Gideon was a mighty man of valor all along. Gideon had a lot of excuses to justify his reluctance to take a lead on changing his world.
You are feeling powerless. So did Gideon. He described himself as a member of the weakest clan in Manasseh, and the least in his father’s house. It doesn’t matter whether you feel too poor or uneducated or not connected enough to act. Your background and family history does not matter. The only thing that matters is your willingness to take up a watch over your world. It is your compassion for your world that will make the difference over time. Even if all you can do right now is pray about it, it is a start. When you take time to pray about problems with the right mindset, you will attract resources, knowledge and connections necessary to cause the change.
