This week we get to hear once again from Kimberly Grainger! If you don’t know her, just head over to the contributer’s page to snag a few details.
So, in the Judges 7 account of Gideon’s battle with the Midianites, we know the odds were never in their favor. Scholars say the Midianite army was 120,000-135,000 strong against the Israelite’s original 32,000.
Then, God thinned, and Gideon obeyed, culling that vastly outnumbered Hebrew army down to a mere 300. Why?
God loved His people.
God promised victory.
God fought for them.
So why would God put His beloved children in such an obviously disadvantaged position?
Simple. Their weakness precipitated His might.
We know the story. Gideon and Purah did midnight recon and overheard the Midianites’ fearful perception. God flat-out told Gideon they’d win the night before the fight.
Then, in the strangest, most unprecedented, seemingly insane battleplan ever, the Hebrew army (carrying trumpets and torches and jars, oh, my) gave a pre-victory victory shout, “The sword of the Lord and of Gideon!”
That adorable little Hebrew mini-army owned a confident courage in the Father’s plan. So, come battletime, some Midianites ran, while others ran swords through their own countrymen.
Gruesome, yes, yet as a picture of victory over sin – powerful.
Fear pre-defeated God-haters. Faith pre-sealed trusting Believers.
All the while, God fulfilled His before-the-battle word to Gideon (vs. 2): victory is sure, yet not by Israelite strength.
Sound familiar? “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.” (Zech. 4:6)
Or, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Cor. 12:9)
So, hear His heart, sister, in the middle of your painful season, your all-too-real grief, your not-yet-alleviated anguish:
God. Sees.
God. Hears.
God. Cares.
The obstacles ARE big, yet He’s the mountain-mover.
The situation IS dark, yet He’s the Light of the World.
The suffering IS real, yet He’s the Healer.
What if we view our rough stuff, not as setbacks, but as set-ups for His glory?
He’s setting the stage for the mind-blowing, drop-to-your-knees, only-God miracle.
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