Suggested Bible Reading: Judges 3-7
Devotional Thought:
Title: “God Uses the Weak!”
God uses the weak so that no man can glory in his own flesh. Gideon is a very familiar person in the Bible. He certainly was used of the Lord to lead an amazing victory for the Israelite army. The main emphasis on chapter six is doing the work of the Lord in the strength of the Lord. We are such natural humanist that we often think we can rely upon our own experience, expertise, or education. Gideon, however, was on the other end of the spectrum. He did not want to be used, he did not think he could be used, and he did not feel he should be used. It is just as wrong to have no confidence in the Lord as it is to have too much confidence in ourselves. Gideon did not believe God could defeat the Midianite army. Gideon’s problem was trying to figure out how man could win against such a massive army. The problem of 32,000 Israelite soldiers compared to the Midianite 135,000 soldiers was a real problem for any man. However, God wanted to teach Gideon to get his eyes off of himself, the size of the army, and the ability or limitations of man. Therefore, the first thing God told Gideon is that he has too many soldiers; so he whittled the size of the army down to 10,000 and then down to 300. It is when we see God do what only He can do that our faith is matured, strengthened, and increased. However, in this story we see the same principle that was seen in John 2. Man must be willing to do what God has asked him to do, before we can see what only God can do. What area of your Christian life have you been disobedient? What do you know God has asked you to do, but you have made all kinds of excuses for why you just cannot obey. Sometimes it is in the area of witnessing, personal devotions, scripture memory, prayer life, or a myriad of others. Maybe the problem is you have tried to do these things in your own strength. The breaking of the pictures, the showing of the torches, and the blowing of the trumpets could not have defeated the mighty Midianite army. However, God was capable and willing to win the battle if Gideon and his mighty men would just do what God told them to do. The same things are true today. We must be committed to obeying what the Bible says, and then watch God win the battle for us. It is not the size of our army, but our willingness to obey the Bible that determines our victories for the Lord. May we learn to be a willing, obedient vessel for the Lord to use for His glory.
Personal Prayer Requests:
- Lord, please help help me to never forget that without you I can do nothing, but with you all things are possible.
- Lord, thank you for the word of God that is indeed a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. Thank you for the wisdom, strength, and confidence that it produces in my life.
- Lord, please help me to be a willing vessel for you to use to bring glory to you name.