Judges 7:1-3 - Early
in the morning, Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) and
all his men camped at the spring of Harod. The camp of Midian was north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh.
The LORD said to Gideon, "You have
too many men for me to deliver Midian into their hands. In order that Israel
may not boast against me that her own strength has saved her, announce now to the people, 'Anyone who
trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.' "
So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained.
It is so hard for us to believe in the pure power of God
sometimes. We grab our thirty-two thousand men…and march off to battle thinking
we have to do a great thing with the many resources God placed in our
hands. But sometimes….God wants to teach
us how to depend on him alone…so he manipulates our 32,000 into a mere 300 and
sends us into battle…with just the simple promise that he will be victorious for
us.
Those 300 men did not even have to fight…the confusion God
caused in the midst of the enemy camp caused the enemy to slay each other…they
just stood there and watched God do all the work….and enjoyed the victory…of
two kingdoms. What a story they must have told to their families as they
returned….it must have multiplied the moment of worship Gideon had in the midst
of the camp the night before…to one massive worship service the next day!
I am the worst to do just the opposite of Gideon….take my
full arsenal with me everywhere I go…and pray I have done enough to get by. Oh
what God could do if I could learn to let go like Gideon and let God fight my
battles for me sometimes. I guess the key is knowing when God has trained me
for something special…and when God needs me to sit back and watch him work for
me. I guess I need to spend more time with him…letting him speak to me the way
he did to Gideon….and really learn to worship him…for those moments when he
gives more than I ever imagined he could give.
Father…I thank you for Gideon and his model of courage and
strength. Help me to find the center of
your love the way he did…and trust you to even sneak close to the enemy and
listen in on their conversation. Show me
when to sit back and watch you do mighty things in my life…and when to do the
work you called me here to do. Help me Lord to truly worship you this morning…and
spend my whole day reflecting on all the good things you have done for me
without me lifting one finger to do it for myself. Amen.
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