God of the Impossible | Morning Routine Daily Devotional for January 28

[Gideon said], “When I blow the trumpet, I and all who are with me, then blow the trumpets also on every side of all the camp and shout, ‘For the Lord and for Gideon…’” Every man stood in his place around the camp, and all the army ran. They cried out and fled. When they blew the 300 trumpets, the Lord set every man’s sword against his comrade and against all the army. — Judges 7:18, 21-22 ESV

The book of Judges records a period in the history of Israel before the nation had kings. Judges were military-type rulers commissioned to conquer the rest of the promised land. The book records their conquest and their many imperfections.

Gideon was the fourth judge in Israel, and he is sometimes remembered for his fear and doubt in the Lord’s commands. But in today’s text, we see one of his successes. He was facing a great army, and he began with 22,000 men himself. But the Lord wanted to dwindle Gideon’s army down so none of them could say, “My own hand saved me” (Judges 7:2). The army became 10,000 and then shrank again to 300! Imagine that, only 300 soldiers were to take on an entire camp of Midianite warriors. Just as the Lord did in Jericho, He commanded Gideon’s army to take trumpets, surround the camp, and play as loudly as they could. When they did, it caused a great panic in the camp and—in the Lord’s sovereignty—the Midianites destroyed themselves.

God does great, sometimes ‘impossible’ things in and through us to His own praise and glory. This story about Gideon is, in a sense, not about Gideon at all. It is about God. And so with us: we are personally loved by God. He knows and cares about us individually. But we are also part of a bigger story of God’s work in the world. And the Lord is at the center of that story. And not unlike Gideon, God may be challenging you, calling you to a difficult task. You may be under-skilled, under-resourced. You may have opposition. But rather than make excuses, trust in the Lord, and to the work to which He has called you. And as you are faithful, may God be glorified!