God’s wardrobe

In this world, image matters. We chose a wardrobe that reflects our style and indicates how we want others to see us. Preppy, Goth, Metrochic, Surfer, Skater, Redneck, and Western are just a few terms that we use to describe appearance and that we associate with behavior. When I teach, I dress professionally so my students will know I take what goes on in our classroom very seriously. When I attend a sporting event, I try to wear something that leaves no doubt which team has my support. I choose clothes and shoes that will enable me to be successful at whatever I have planned.

The original verb in Judges 6:34 and in many of the translations is that “God clothed himself with Gideon” and empowered him to defeat the enemies of Israel. What Gideon was incapable of by himself, he was capable of when God filled him, when God “wore” him. This is the same imagery used in the New Testament idea of being filled with the Holy Spirit. Paul warns in Eph 6:10-17 that we are to “put on” the full armor of God. This relationship clearly indicates that both putting on and filling are required…our submission to God’s presence.

We are God’s wardrobe. He has promised to “fill us” as we “put him on”. If we forget to get dressed before we go out, we will be humiliated. Most offices and stores do not have “pajama day”. “Bedhead” is not typically the look we seek. As a child of God, his presence goes into your world everyday looking like you. If you go into your day capable only of your own potential, you are entering a battlefield where the odds are stacked against you. If you are intentional about allowing God to clothe himself with you, you will be filled with the power to accomplish all that he calls you to do.