Proverbs 21:31 – “The horses prepare for the day of battle, but victory belongs to the Lord.”
When I am feeling a little overwhelmed, I think about the story of Gideon in the Bible. God’s people were being mercifully oppressed by their enemies. God told Gideon to lead the charge to rescue them. Gideon was afraid, but he got together 30,000 men. That was nothing compared to the far greater number of their enemies. Gideon was willing to try, but then God said something quite shocking. He told Gideon he had too many men and to send home all but 300. That didn’t make sense to Gideon, but he obeyed God. He did what God asked, and then with the help and strength of God, those 300 defeated the enemy of 135,000. God was reminding Gideon that it was not up to him to win the victory. It was up to Gideon to be obedient to God, and God would bring about the victory. We need to remember that we don’t have to handle the whole world. We don’t have to be in charge of everything. It’s not up to us to fix, heal, save, or deliver anybody. That’s God’s job. He said to Gideon, “Your job is to go and be obedient. I will go with you and I will win the victory.” God is the God of victory, not defeat. Victory belongs to God. With the Lord before us, Jesus beside us, the Spirit within us, and the Bible behind us, there is no foe we cannot face. There is no battle we cannot win. There is no hill we can’t climb. We belong to a God of victory.
When I am feeling a little overwhelmed, I think about the story of Gideon in the Bible. God’s people were being mercifully oppressed by their enemies. God told Gideon to lead the charge to rescue them. Gideon was afraid, but he got together 30,000 men. That was nothing compared to the far greater number of their enemies. Gideon was willing to try, but then God said something quite shocking. He told Gideon he had too many men and to send home all but 300. That didn’t make sense to Gideon, but he obeyed God. He did what God asked, and then with the help and strength of God, those 300 defeated the enemy of 135,000. God was reminding Gideon that it was not up to him to win the victory. It was up to Gideon to be obedient to God, and God would bring about the victory. We need to remember that we don’t have to handle the whole world. We don’t have to be in charge of everything. It’s not up to us to fix, heal, save, or deliver anybody. That’s God’s job. He said to Gideon, “Your job is to go and be obedient. I will go with you and I will win the victory.” God is the God of victory, not defeat. Victory belongs to God. With the Lord before us, Jesus beside us, the Spirit within us, and the Bible behind us, there is no foe we cannot face. There is no battle we cannot win. There is no hill we can’t climb. We belong to a God of victory.
– Dr. Tim Thompson