Judges 11:5-6 With the Ammonites at war with them, the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob. They said to Jephthah: “Come. Be our general and we’ll fight the Ammonites.”

There are some funny and even difficult characters in the Old Testament, and yet God used them. Jephthah is one of them.

Jephthah’s story begins with pain. His father wandered around for a while and fathered one of his sons with a lady of the night. Fortunately, his father did not throw him to the wolves and raised him as his own son.

However, we cannot say the same about his half-brothers, since they simply chased him away because they didn’t want to share their inheritance with him. Jephthah then went into the desert. Many other outcasts joined him and with him as their leader they became a strong team.

However, when the pawpaw hit the fan, who did the Israelites call? Jephthah, of course. Suddenly he was good enough to help them. The man they had thrown away had to come and save them.

Do you see how God often uses the painful paths in our lives to prepare us for what He wants to use us for? God didn’t chase Jephthah into the desert, his half-brothers did. But God used his time in the desert to prepare him and make him strong for his role as leader.

Jephthah talked to God the whole time about the tactics he should follow to defeat the enemy. That’s why he first tried to set the table through talks to see if there wasn’t a less violent solution than war.

But when the discussions failed, “the Spirit of the Lord came upon him” and they picked up their swords. The Lord helped them to emerge victorious from the battle.

God can even use a man with a bad start when He calls him. The pain of rejection did not destroy Jephthah; it shaped him in the desert and made him strong. God can also make your path straight, even when others have made it crooked.

Also, when our relationship with God is strong, He will first lead us in one direction, but when the people on the other side don’t come to the table, He makes other plans. And when the time comes to fight, it’s not just your strength, but the Spirit of the Lord that will carry you to victory.

Prayer
Father, I believe that You make plans with me, and when plans don’t work out, that You will help me with the winning plan …

Questions
What hurts from my past am I still struggling to make sense of?
Do I believe that God can use even my difficult path for good?
Do I ask God for guidance before making important decisions?

Do this now
Today, write down one difficult experience from your past and ask God how He can use it for good.
Before you make a decision today, even a small one, stop and ask God for guidance.
When you find yourself in a conflict or difficult situation, try to make peace through talking before you react.