Unlikely Leaders

Sometimes God calls people to lead who don’t necessarily want to lead. When God called Gideon to be a leader of Israel, he was hiding from his enemies, the Midianites. The angel of the Lord appeared and said to him, “The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!” (Judges 6:12 NKJV). However, in that moment, Gideon was about as uncourageous as he could be.

Gideon was cowering in fear because of his enemies, yet the Lord was calling him into service. He protested, “O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house” (Judges 6:15 NKJV). Another way to say that would be, “I’m the runt of the litter. Don’t bother with me. My brothers—they’d do a much better job.” But God chose Gideon.

Sometimes the Lord chooses people who don’t want to be leaders because they know they can’t do it on their own. They’ll have God-confidence instead of self-confidence.

It’s also true that sometimes God does not call people who do want to be leaders. Maybe it’s because they want it too much. Maybe it’s because they want it for the wrong reason. It’s a great privilege to be a leader, and there is great joy in being able to perhaps see things change or influence things or accomplish something of value. But it isn’t for the faint of heart.

There’s a price you will pay. If you’re a leader, wherever you might lead, you will be misunderstood, misrepresented, mocked, and criticized. Sometimes there even will be threats on your life. So don’t try to be a leader if God hasn’t called you to be one. But if He has called you to lead, then, by all means, do so.