Day 68 or March 9. Size doesn't matter.
Our thoughts today are rooted in Judges chapter 7 verse 7. 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.
Now the big picture surrounding this verse. One of the most famous Judges was Gideon.
He is still remembered today through that well-respected international ministry called
Gideons, who distribute Bibles in places like schools and hospitals and prisons. Their team
is relatively small in number, just like the army of Gideon, which was only three hundred,
but managed to defeat the larger army of the Midianites. Gideon was called by God and was
at first very reticent to obey. He twice put out a fleece to test the call, before responding
and being used in an amazing way by God. He was so successful that he was asked to be
king, but insisted that God was the king, and would continue to rule over the Israelites.
And now our action step for today. After gathering a vast army of thirty-two
thousand, Gideon was told by God to send home all who were afraid. Only ten thousand remained,
but Gideon was confident that they would be enough to win victory. Imagine how he felt
when it was reduced to only three hundred, after seeing them all drink water from the
spring of Harod. Logistically, surely it's better to have a large army rather than a
small one, isn't it? The key is found in chapter 7 verse 2. The Lord said to Gideon,
You have too many warriors with you. If I let all of you fight the Midianites, the Israelites
will boast to me that they saved themselves by their own strength. Too many well-meaning
Christians actually believe that they can do the work of God without God's help. Whenever
you feel inadequate, remember to rely on the Lord, who actually doesn't need our help
to win, but prefers to work with us whenever possible. We are only essential to God's
work because he chooses to make us so. We all need to recognize this.