Give honour to whom honour is due
Call me boring, but one of my favourite pastime activities is making puzzles. I take pride in the fact that I can finish a 1000-piece puzzle in about 5 hours.
There is nothing wrong with praising people for talents, achievements or victories. Paul teaches us in Romans 13:7 to give honour to whom honour is due.
However, sometimes God puts us in situations that are so impossible that we cannot solve them by any means.
For example, if I were forced at gunpoint to make a million-piece puzzle in 5 hours (or even 5 days), I would only be able to do so by a miraculous and supernatural intervention that supersedes my own puzzle abilities in every way.
Gideon found himself in such an impossible situation, facing enemies too numerous to count with an army of a meagre 300 men (Judges 7:7-12).
Gideon himself wasn’t much of an army leader either. He said:
“Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” – Judges 6:15 NIV
God’s response? “I will be with you.” (Judges 6:16 NIV)
It wasn’t about Gideon or his army; it was about God!
When Gideon and his men finally stood against their enemies, they had a torch in one hand and a trumpet in the other. They weren’t even holding their swords!
God never intended for Gideon to be strong or equipped enough to handle this battle. His plan all along was to receive all the honour and praise for this victory:
The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many men. I cannot deliver Midian into their hands, or Israel would boast against me, ‘My own strength has saved me’.” – Judges 7:2 NIV
God may put us in circumstances too hard for us to handle because if we could handle it, we’d be tempted to steal God’s glory.
Whenever you find yourself in an impossible situation, tell God, “I am looking forward to seeing how You will bring me out of this. The battle is Yours”
