“When I blow the trumpet, I and all who are with me, then blow the trumpets also on every side of all the camp and shout, ‘For the Lord and for Gideon!” (Judges 7:18).
What makes the judge, Gideon, so famous in scripture? It’s that he defeated a vast army of tens of thousands with only 300 men. However, if you follow Gideon’s situation carefully you will see a man struck with doubt and fear whom the Lord transformed into a leader.
In Judges 6:15 Gideon said, “Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.” Essentially, Gideon was saying, “Who am I?” Then the Lord revealed himself to Gideon in a miracle of fire consuming a sacrifice. Gideon’s response was to bow in fear of the Lord.
Later, Gideon famously tested the Lord with a fleece, asking for it to be dry, then wet. He received further confirmation that the Lord had called him to deliver Israel from its enemies. His response was to begin obeying the Lord’s command. However, Gideon still had some doubt. So the Lord sent him to the edge of the enemy camp where he heard an enemy soldier recount a dream revealing that Gideon would strike down his enemies (Judges 7:9-15). Gideon’s response was first to worship, then he and his 300 men arose to defeat the Midianites. Then end result was that Gideon went from protesting and saying, “Who am I?” to leading with the battle cry, “For the Lord and for Gideon!”
Notice the responses the Gideon had to the Lord. First he feared, then he obeyed, then he worshipped. Only through obedience and worship did Gideon see his victory.
What battles do you face right now? How are you responding to the Lord in your situation? Do you obey and worship or is your response something else?
Memory Verse
“This is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it” (II John 1:6).
Application
Write down the battles you are facing right now, especially those that seem hopeless to you. Then pray and commit these to the Lord asking for his direction that you might obey where he leads. Then worship him and see what he will do.