The Lodestar

Read: Judges 7:1—25.

Over 30,000 people gathered in response to Gideon’s call to fight the Midianites raiding their crops. However, the Lord asked Gideon to downsize the army. First, he allowed those fearful to go home; 22,000 people took advantage of that offer. But he still wanted to downsize the remaining 10,000 to an insignificant number of 300three hundred people.

The Lord’s reason for reducing the army to this small size was to prove that he could achieve remarkable things with a minority. That night, through a cleverly planned ruse, these untrained, unarmed Israelite farmers thwarted the Midianites from their territory.

Victory in battles is not in our strength but in the Lord on our side. The people of God had achieved remarkable things by the power of the Lord. When the tiny community of those who returned from exile were rebuilding the temple, the Lord encouraged them that the huge task would be accomplished by his power: “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts” (Zech 4:6).

Being in a minority could be dispiriting. It could be being the only Christ-follower in the family or having no other Christian colleague in the workplace or the neighbourhood. But we must remember that our God specializes in achieving wonderful things through a minority, though they may be weak.

What we achieve for God is not by the strength of our number but by the strength that he apportions to the weak. Do not be discouraged by small numbers. Surrender your weakness to God and watch him do extraordinary things through you.