Weather report from heaven: Sunny and bright with an abundance of light, and lots of singing and rejoicing.
Scripture- “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. I cannot deliver Midian into their hands, or Israel would boast against me, ‘My own strength has saved me.’Now announce to the army, ‘Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.’” So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained. But the Lord said to Gideon, “There are still too many men. Take them down to the water, and I will thin them out for you there. If I say, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go; but if I say, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.” So Gideon took the men down to the water. There the Lord told him, “Separate those who lap the water with their tongues as a dog laps from those who kneel down to drink.” Three hundred of them drank from cupped hands, lapping like dogs. All the rest got down on their knees to drink. The Lord said to Gideon, “With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands. Let all the others go home.” So Gideon sent the rest of the Israelites home but kept the three hundred, who took over the provisions and trumpets of the others.”- Judges 7:1-8
Insight: As we continue our series on Understanding The Times, today let’s consider in more detail the great hope we have as Christians because of the sufficiency, strength and power of Jesus Christ and the eternal nature of God’s Kingdom. In case you hadn’t noticed when reading the Bible, God loves it when the odds are so stacked against Him that it looks like all hope is lost or there is no way He will be able to come through this time. But our God is the God of the fat chance, the slim chance, the second chance, the last chance and the no chance. In fact, you could correctly argue after reading the scriptures that God loves to show off for His people. In fact, the entire Universe displays this to be true. Psalm 148:1-6 speaks of His majesty as the Creator of all things to be worshipped for the beauty of His works when it proclaims “praise the Lord. Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights above. Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his heavenly hosts. Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars. Praise him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies. Let them praise the name of the Lord, for at his command they were created, and he established them for ever and ever— he issued a decree that will never pass away.”
But even more relevant for us as His children than the grandeur of the Creation of the Universe, is how He shows off in practical ways like in the story of Judges 6 & 7 when he uses Gideon, the self proclaimed weakest person of the weakest tribe,( Judges 6:15 ) to defeat the mighty Midianite Army. Not only this, but God tells Gideon he has way too many people to join this fight, and He wittles down Gideon’s band of brothers from 32,000 to just 300 men. Why would God make such an unreasonable request of Gideon? Was He looking to lead Gideon and the Israelites into a slaughter? Absolutely not! The answer was right there for us to read in Judges 7:2 “The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many men. I cannot deliver Midian into their hands, or Israel would boast against me, ‘My own strength has saved me.’ This is the truth of this story and many others in the Bible that illustrate how God likes to show off for His people, like the parting of the Red Sea, the collapsing of the Jericho Walls, the raising Lazarus from the dead, the healing of the Lepers and so many more. It is really about God showing us that His power alone is what we should put our trust in, so He gets all the glory, and our faith in Him grows exponentially. If Gideon had been allowed to go into battle with 32,000 men, he may have been tempted to think he won the battle on his own strength. But God knew with only 300 men, Gideon and his army would give God all the credit and know firsthand that He was still leading Israel and His Covenant with them was still secure. He wants His Children to trust in Him alone! It is not a vain glory, God certainly doesn’t need our accolades, but He loves to come through for His people when it seems all hope is lost. So, in this difficult season you may be going through, remember that God is not done working in your life yet. Ask Him to show up and show off for you. Tell Him how desperate your circumstances appear and how much you need Him. Admit that you have come to the end of your rope, and your strength is not sufficient for the battle we are all in at the present in one way or another. Then watch as He builds your faith to levels you have never imagined were possible as He provides solutions that are way above your ability to understand. He is the God of the last chance, and for us that should give us an enduring hope!
Prayer: Father God, You deserve all the glory and Your strength is many times the only hope we have left. Please show up and show off for your people, Lord who need to hear from You right now and see Your awesome display of power. Amen!
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