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Pursuing A Reckless, Crazy Strategy
God loves to work in the realm of the impossible. Therefore, He puts you and me in impossible situations in order that we can see that He is the One who comes through and works things out.
Once Joshua passed away, Israel was led by judges for a period of time. Ten of them are named in the book of Judges—nine men and one woman. Under their watch, Israel lived in a repetitive cycle: the people would sin; then they would fall under oppression and cry out to the Lord, who would raise up a judge to deliver them; they would live in prosperity for a while, and then enter back into sin.
During one of those cycles, Israel was oppressed by the Midianites, a people who dwelled to the southeast of the Promised Land. In response, God raised up an obscure Israelite—a most unlikely deliverer—named Gideon.
While insecure because he felt he wasn’t qualified, Gideon called Israel’s men to assemble as an army and prepare to defeat the Midianites. Once they were gathered, however, something wasn’t right. According to the Lord, the army of Israel was too big. Gideon had too many soldiers for the battle.
Despite the odds against victory, God had a different plan (Jud. 7:2). He thinned out Gideon’s army from 32,000 to 300—a 99 percent reduction!
Can you imagine being one of the 300 as Gideon commands 31,700 men to return home? Can you imagine feeling an unshakable confidence at the size of your army at noon, only to see the numbers completely diminished by dinnertime? What leader in their right mind would pursue such a strategy for war? This was reckless! Crazy!
Why would God do such a “ridiculous” thing? Because He wanted to prevent the pride of Israel and He wanted opposing nations to know that He alone was at work, granting victory to a severely undermanned army. The Lord wanted no other explanation than Himself—the one true God of Israel—as the reason for His people’s victory. Zechariah 4:6 reminds us:
Not by might nor by power but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord.
Friends, as in the days of Gideon and the prophet Zechariah, the Lord is working in your life to ensure that He receives the glory. In all ways—His essence, love, power, goodness, wisdom, and justice, to name a few—God is tremendously superior to human beings. When people see Him and His ways shining through, He is glorified and worshiped for who He is. What’s more, people are delivered from the limitations of their lives and into the experience of the innumerable benefits of His perfection. When we are at our least, Our Father is at His greatest.
Many times you will have a very difficult time understanding what your Father is doing with you and your circumstances. You’ll likely feel increasingly frustrated at who God is, how He works, and your inability to control situations. And this disillusion, if left unchecked, can easily distance you from Him. Hence the brilliance of Jesus as He trained us to further pray, “Our Father . . . hallowed be Your name.”
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