Read
That same night the Lord said to him, “Arise, go down against the camp, for I have given it into your hand.”
Judges 7:9
Reflect
The big football game was just days away, and the powerful Boston Bruisers were preparing to face the Nashville Nice Guys. It didn’t look like much of a contest. Boston had assembled a roster packed with elite talent. Nashville, on the other hand, had opened tryouts to anyone willing to play. A crowd showed up, and while some had real skill, many were just hopeful volunteers.
Then the Nice Guys’ coach—everyone simply called him Big G—made a surprising announcement. He told the players that anyone who wasn’t fully committed was free to go home. Most did. The remaining group was smaller, leaner, and far more focused.
But Big G wasn’t finished. He watched how the remaining players handled a simple water break, and based on that moment alone, he cut the team down again—to a group so small that winning now seemed impossible.
That’s exactly the position Gideon found himself in.
When God called Gideon to confront the Midianites, Israel was facing an overwhelming enemy force. Gideon gathered an army of 32,000 men, but God said it was too many. If Israel won with numbers like that, they would claim the victory as their own. So God told Gideon to send home anyone who was afraid. Thousands left. Still, God said the army was too large.
At the water’s edge, God reduced the force again—this time to just 300 men.
Humanly speaking, this made no sense. Militarily, it was absurd. But God wasn’t building a strategy; He was shaping trust. The victory He was about to give would leave no room for pride, no confusion about the source of success.
That night, those 300 men surrounded the enemy camp carrying torches hidden inside clay jars and trumpets in their hands. At Gideon’s signal, they shattered the jars, blew the trumpets, and shouted, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” The sudden lights and noise threw the enemy into panic. Confusion erupted, and the Midianite army turned on itself. Israel won—not by strength, but by obedience.
Gideon might have won with a larger army and a conventional plan. But only God’s way made the lesson unmistakable: the victory belonged to Him.
There are moments in life when God’s direction seems illogical—when resources are reduced, options are limited, and the path forward feels risky. In those moments, God isn’t absent; He’s often at work most deliberately. Trusting Him may not feel safe, but it is always right. His plans don’t just lead to success—they lead to glory.
This week, think about the challenges in front of you. Ask God not only for victory, but for the kind of obedience that trusts Him even when the outcome isn’t clear. Pray for wisdom to follow His leading, confident that His way—no matter how unexpected—is always enough.
Reflection copyright © 2026 Doug DeBolt.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
