"Faint, Yet Pursuing"

Judges 8:4  And Gideon came to Jordan, and passed over, he, and the three hundred men that were with him, faint, yet pursuing them.

In this section, Gideon had just defeated the Midianites and were pursuing Zeebah and Zalmunna, two kings of Midian who had escaped. In this message, we want to talk about something that you don’t hear much about and that is what to do during times of faintness.

Talking about this topic is often taboo among Christians because “As Christians, we’re not supposed to be faint because we serve a God of power and if you even mention being faint, then you must not be praying enough!” We do serve a God of power, but talking about this topic does not mean someone is not prayerful, nor does it give an excuse to become slothful. There is a healthy way to look at this topic. We must be careful of extreme beliefs.

The Warriors Were Faint

Judges 8:4-5  And Gideon came to Jordan, and passed over, he, and the three hundred men that were with him, faint, yet pursuing them.  (5)  And he said unto the men of Succoth, Give, I pray you, loaves of bread unto the people that follow me; for they be faint, and I am pursuing after Zebah and Zalmunna, kings of Midian.

I know that in Christianity, you’re not supposed to talk about being faint or weary. But, to deny this reality of the Christian life is to deny reality itself. Sometimes we get tired and, rather than focusing solely on that, we need to know how to deal with those times of weariness.

 Jesus and the disciples got weary. Mark 6:31  And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.

Paul grew weary 2 Corinthians 7:5  For, when we were come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we were troubled on every side; without were fightings, within were fears.

Maybe Jesus, the disciples, and Paul should have prayed in the Spirit more often! Or, maybe they weren’t so afraid to acknowledge the reality that the work of God can wear you down sometimes. I’ve heard it called “Compassion exhaustion”, or being worn down by loving people’s souls more than they love their own souls.

When people ignore this reality in their feeble attempt to keep up appearances, they tend to burn out, sometimes beyond recovery.

A Lack of Compassion

Judges 8:6-9  And the princes of Succoth said, Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in thine hand, that we should give bread unto thine army?  (7)  And Gideon said, Therefore when the LORD hath delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into mine hand, then I will tear your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers.  (8)  And he went up thence to Penuel, and spake unto them likewise: and the men of Penuel answered him as the men of Succoth had answered him.  (9)  And he spake also unto the men of Penuel, saying, When I come again in peace, I will break down this tower.

When Gideon asked for food and water while pursuing Zeebah and Zalmunna, the men of Succoth basically said, "No, because the victory hasn't already been won". These men had no compassion on those who were in the fight! They were probably afraid to put their own necks on the line.

Most people won’t do something unless they feel they’ve been given social approval to do so. The question they subconsciously ask themselves is, “Is this safe to support, or will I get retaliation for supporting it? Even though I really like this, what would this person or that person think if they knew I supported it?” This is a terrible way to live because it makes them the slave of other people’s opinions!

The Warriors Were Still Pursuing

Judges 8:4  And Gideon came to Jordan, and passed over, he, and the three hundred men that were with him, faint, yet pursuing them.

These warriors were not sinning by being faint in the fight and neither is anyone else sinning who becomes faint in the fight! When we get weary, rather than completely stopping, we must look to God for His power and learn to keep pursuing at a pace that is healthy for that moment.

We may need to pull back on some things, accept the help of those who will offer it, and don’t worry about those who don’t offer help. What did Jesus tell the disciples? Mark 6:31  And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while… Notice He didn’t say, “You bunch of unprayerful lazy bones!”. Be careful of people who talk to you like that, especially if the only sword they are wielding seems to be at their own people!

You want to be able to keep pursuing even when you become faint so you don’t burn out beyond recovery. Associate yourself, not with those who deny reality, but with those who know what it’s like to be Faint, Yet Pursuing because they are out in the fight too!

Remember, the goal isn’t to never be weary. The goal is to look to God for power so you can keep pursuing!