3Now therefore proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return home and hurry away from Mount Gilead.’” Then 22,000 of the people returned, and 10,000 remained.
4And the Lord said to Gideon, “The people are still too many. Take them down to the water, and I will test them for you there, and anyone of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall go with you,’ shall go with you, and anyone of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ shall not go.” 5So he brought the people down to the water. And the Lord said to Gideon, “Every one who laps the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set by himself. Likewise, every one who kneels down to drink.” 6And the number of those who lapped, putting their hands to their mouths, was 300 men, but all the rest of the people knelt down to drink water. 7And the Lordsaid to Gideon, “With the 300 men who lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hand, and let all the others go every man to his home.” 8So the people took provisions in their hands, and their trumpets. And he sent all the rest of Israel every man to his tent, but retained the 300 men. Judges 6:3-8
Gideon knew that obedience to God was the only way to win this battle. Was it easy? Probably not! We like to do things within our own strength but God wants to show his strength most gloriously through our weaknesses. Priscilla Shirer shares her own observations in the Gideon bible study she authored. “Our weaknesses are the conduits through which we experience God’s strength.”
Today, let’s recognize that God wants each one of us to stop being paralyzed by our weaknesses. His desire is that our weaknesses will push us to whole hearted trust in Him.
