A Torch. A Trumpet. A Voice.

Day 31:  Genesis/Psalm 31, Judges 7

I've read the story of Gideon in Judges 7 many times.  I've heard countless sermons on the chapter and how God doesn't need an army to accomplish His will.  I've heard it preached that God is looking for the right men who are ready to fight and that He can do more with 300 than can be accomplished with 32,300.

But I got to thinking during this reading.  Why 300?  If God wanted to pair the group down so that they would not be able to boast that it was their own military strength that saved them, why didn't God use 100 men?  Or even 10 men?  Or, I'm talking nonsense, just 3?  Gideon broke his band of 300 men into three groups, right?  And each of those groups had torches and trumpets.  Gideon put them around the camp of his enemy in three strategic places.  So why not just three guys with trumpets and torches?

God didn't need 32,000 men or even 10,000 men but He did need a large group.  In the middle of the night, from a distance three torches surrounding a valley would have been barely distinguishable.  Three trumpets would have been barely noticeable and three guys yelling would have sounded like the wind blowing.

But you take three groups of 100 men and separate them around a valley.  Three groupings of 100 torches takes on a whole different look in the dead of night.  The blast from the trumpets would have sounded in stereo in the valley and echoed as a clarion call and the shouts of 300 men from three different locations would have convinced the sleepy enemy that they were surrounded and about to die.

God didn't need 32,000 men with swords He just needed 300 men holding torches, blowing trumpets and raising their voice, "FOR THE LORD AND FOR GIDEON!"

God knew on the front end how the battle would be won.  Just because no one else did didn't matter too much.

Here is God's word to Zerubbabel from Zechariah 4:6, "Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty."

Have you been waiting for God to move?  Is there a battle that you need to fight?  God doesn't need your sword or your strength or your cunning He needs your trust.  I see so many people trying to fix their own lives by going further into the mess they already created.  They try to do it on their own, in their own wisdom and fall short.  It's time to stop and let God prepare you for battle.

First of all - are you willing to fight?  Is the thing you're after worth it?
Second - are you alert and prepared or are you just along for the ride?  God wants you to trust Him with your fight, not dump it in His lap and walk away.
Third - what do you have to fight with?  If you're holding onto your sword you're not trusting... Use what God gives you, even if it's a torch, a trumpet and your voice.

The goal of your struggle is not for you to win, it's for God to get the glory.  Don't make this about you when it's about Him.  If it's about you, you're not ready for battle yet.