GIDEON'S SIGN OF THE FLEECE - THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

"So Gideon said to God, “If You will save Israel by my hand as You have said—  look, I shall put a fleece of wool on the threshing floor; if there is dew on the fleece only, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that You will save Israel by my hand, as You have said.”  And it was so. When he rose early the next morning and squeezed the fleece together, he wrung the dew out of the fleece, a bowlful of water.  Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me, but let me speak just once more: Let me test, I pray, just once more with the fleece; let it now be dry only on the fleece, but on all the ground let there be dew.” And God did so that night. It was dry on the fleece only, but there was dew on all the ground." (Judges 6:36-40)

Continuing on with my talks and visits to old Baptist churches in Georgia, today I visited the Fishing Creek Baptist Church in Wilkes County. Founded in 1782, it is the fourth oldest Baptist church in Georgia, and was instrumental in founding the Georgia Baptist Association.What a wonderful man of God they have as pastor! Bro. Roy Cates at 86 years old, is still going strong preaching the Gospel. He has been pastor of Fishing Creek for 46 years and is the longest serving pastor in the church's history.

In talking with someone, I of course always want to know where they stand theologically, especially if the church has some history to it. When I asked Bro. Roy if he was a Calvinist, he immediately said, "Well what do you mean by that?" I said well do you believe in ________." He said "Then yes, I am a Calvinist.", Then I asked "Well do you believe in ________." He said "Then no I am not a Calvinist." I laughed so hard, as he is such a jovial, smiling man, that the way he answers questions, though serious, he has a way of putting the questioner at ease. The reason for the blanks, is because this article is not about theology, but about faithfulness.

I asked Bro. Roy about how he came to be pastor. He told me he was working for the state of Georgia when he was 40 years old, he had been preaching here and there for a few months. Fishing Creek invited him to preach for a few Sundays, while they were looking for a pastor. After a few weeks, the church approached him about being pastor. He said, "Nope, don't want it." After he said that, his mind kept going back to the needs of the church.The church had some divisive issues about a fellowship hall they were building. Bro. Roy felt God may be calling him to be pastor, but he wasn't sure, on top of the fact that he really had a good job, a young family, and did not want the responsibility. Yet he felt pulled somehow. So he told God he would ask for the "sign of the fleece", and issue two demands upon the church, and if they responded in the affirmative, he would take on the job. The first condition he imposed was that the vote to call him must be unanimous. So the church voted and it was unanimous. The next conditon, was the church must finish the fellowship hall, which had been left untouched for over a year, because of contention. To his astonishment, the church agreed! "Now" Bro. Roy said, "I was in a pickle. It was the most sour pickle I ever tasted, I just was not interested, and thought the church would never meet my conditions, but I promised the Lord, if He would give me the sign of the fleece, I would obey." So he obeyed and has been there ever since. Though the congregation is a small one at about 120 members, that is not bad for the extremely rural area they are in! Bro. Roy said the finances of the church have never been better and that just recently, he had gone to the church office, for no reason, but something kept telling him he needed to be there that day. A lady was driving by, saw his car at the church, and stopped and gave him a check for $40,000.00! She had sold some land, and wanted to give God a portion, even though she wasn't a church goer! God provides does He not?

Bro. Roy told me about a few years ago, when at an auction, a man he had been praying for came and sat beside him. During the auction, the man collapsed, and an ambulance was called. While waiting, Bro. Roy dropped to his knees praying for God's healing, as this man was lost and had been talking to Roy about the condition of his soul. The man later recovered and the doctors said they had no idea how he made it through. But I know! Once better, the man called on Roy, and he believed Christ for his salvation, and has been faithful ever since. Bro. Roy has had his hard times as he lost a son to suicide, leaving a wife and baby behind. He could hardly contain the tears as he told me about it. That baby is now a high school football coach in Jackson county, serving the Lord. God is faithful.

In closing, let me say, we are not exempt from pain or heartache because we are God's children. Let me also say that, when something is heavy on our heart about a decision we need to make, God is patient and not angry when we ask Him for the "sign of the fleece". In fact, He may be proud that we want to make sure it is of Him. On the other hand, we must be prepared for God's will, and be willing to accept His call, whatever it may be. How about you? Are you living out God's call for your life? Is He pulling your heart towards something and you really don't want to go there? Oh the happiest place to be, is where HE wants you to be! As the old song says "Trust and obey, for there's no other way, to be happy in Jesus, BUT TO TRUST AND OBEY!"

These pictures capture the beautiful spirit of Bro. Roy. That pulpit he is preaching from is over 200 years old! The photo of him baptizing a young boy and embracing a young woman in the name of Jesus is what he lives for. The photo of Fishing Creek Baptist church with the rainbow pointing to God's ark of salvation says it all! Notice the fellowship hall that he required to be finished before accepting the pastorate.