The Alpha of the Revelation of the Lord

UV 3161/10000 The Alpha of the Revelation of the Lord
And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.
Judges 6 v 12
Gideon showed no sign of valour before the revelation of the angel of the Lord. Jacob showed no sign of faithfulness before the revelation from the angel of the Lord. Indeed, Gideon was hiding in fear from the marauding Midianites and Jacob was running in fear from his brother Esau after defrauding Esau of his rights as the first born. These are instances of how an encounter with the Lord transforms us. He creates the opposite qualities in us. In the New testament, too , we see the weak and vacillating Simon is called Peter or rock by the Lord Jesus. Peter is then anointed or enabled to be the leader of the church. Our weaknesses of character or ability are not a deterrent for the Lord to call and use us. The Lord calls into being the character and quality He wants to see in us. He endows us with the courage, the faith, the wisdom, the grace we need to fulfil His calling as we submit to Him.
Grace is the greatness of God being manifested in man. In place of our weaknesses, He invests and manifests His power and strength. Gideon went on to be a great leader and warrior for the Lord. He led Israel to victory against powerful foes as the Lord of hosts was with Him. He is the One with us as a mighty warrior. He will give us ultimate victory in whatever challenge we are facing. We only need to remain still in His presence or in other words, we need to lay to rest our fears, apprehensions, anxieties, our inadequacies and weaknesses and He will fight on our behalf. Prayer is the process of making still our inner being, our souls and spirits in the presence of the Lord.
Even Daniel was greatly strengthened by the appearance of the angel Michael. The words of the angel reflect the esteem in which the Lord held Daniel. We too in our weak moments, our moments of challenge, our times of testing and trials, can seek an appearance of the angel of the Lord. The young Mary who was going to be put to the greatest test of faith of her life also was greatly encouraged and strengthened by the appearance of the angel Gabriel to her. More than the sight of the heavenly creature, the angel of the Lord, it is the words or the message of the Lord that he delivers that blesses and enables us. The appearance of the angels of the Lord with a direct revelation is quite rare as it is often intended to give the person concerned a change of direction in his or her life, a new phase of life in which the express purpose and will of the Lord is fulfilled.