2017-06-22 - 300 Men

I'm sure most, if not all, of you are familiar with the statement, "God's ways are not our ways." So very true. Sometimes it is painfully true. Other times we see afterward God's hand moving the chess pieces on the board of life.

A very dear friend of ours died of leukemia after a valiant fight. She seemed to be doing well and moving ahead in the process of fighting the disease. Completely unexpected things turned radically wrong and she was gone in a matter of 10 days. She is at home, well and whole waiting for the day we will be reunited. God's plan, not ours. In that moment we had to trust our Lord in the middle of a painful reality.

In Judges chapter 7 [please read] Gideon has amassed 32,000 men to fight the Midianites, the Amalekites and more. Through a few of instructions to Gideon God reduced the fighting force to 300 men. God makes it clear in the chapter why. He did not want Israel to boast that they had defeated the enemy and ignore the fact that God had given their enemies into their hands.

The final deciding factor was how the men present would drink water to determine whether they would be sent home or kept as part of those who would fight. I'm doubtful that you or I would come to that test to make a critical decision on who to keep. Gideon trusted God even knowing the massive number of men they would face in battle.

I'm pretty sure Gideon was happy with the 32,000 men he had at the start of the winnowing process. Abraham trusted God when Abraham was instructed to sacrifice his only son. He held fast to God's promise that his descendants would be as numerous as the grains of sand on the seashore. We had to trust that God knew best when He called our friend home to Heaven. Trusting flew in the face of our pain and loss. But God is either trustworthy or His is not the loving Father Who has our best interests at heart every tick of the clock.

Trust Him. Selah.

Lord Jesus - When we can't see the way, or understand how things are happening around us, or why   in the middle of our pain or confusion fill is with the courage to trust You. Amen.

Grace & Peace,
Mike

jmhoskins@gmail.com
http://www.cfdevotionals.org
http://www.peacewithgod.com

All verses are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) unless otherwise noted.