May 11

Judges 7

God uses Gideon’s 300 men to rout the entire Midianite army.

INSIGHT

“Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit” is the work of the Lord accomplished (Zechariah 4:6). Few stories illustrate that principle more clearly than that of Gideon and his army of 300. God wants prepared men to fight His battles with His weapons in His way. His weapons are not earthly but spiritual. His ways are higher than our ways, and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. We want to offer God our strength and our weapons and our insight but He does not need them. We need Him. Rather than trying to get God to accept our plans, strategies, and goals, we ought to strive to understand His. His way is the way of victory.

PRAYER

Because the Lord is our victory, we praise Him and rest in His care:
Oh, give thanks to the Lord!
Call upon His name;
Make known His deeds among the peoples.
Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him;
Talk of all His wondrous works.
Glory in His holy name;
Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord (Psalm 105:1-3).

Pause for praise and thanksgiving.

Pray this confession to the Lord as you seek to keep your life free from sin:
“The heart is deceitful above all things,
And desperately wicked;
Who can know it?
I, the Lord, search the heart,
I test the mind,
Even to give every man according to his ways,
According to the fruit of his doings….”
Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed;
Save me, and I shall be saved,
For You are my praise
(Jeremiah 17:9-10, 14).

Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind.

Now pause to pray this affirmation to the Lord:
“If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love” (John 15:10).

As you make your requests known to the Lord, pray for: