It's Only By His Spirit (Judges 7:15-16) - Your Daily Bible Verse - July 27
BIBLE VERSE OF THE DAY: '“When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he worshiped God. He returned to the camp of Israel and called out, ‘Get up! The Lord has given the Midianite camp into your hands.’ [He divided] the three hundred men into three companies” - Judges 7:15-16
It’s Only By His Spirit
By Mark Jeske
Gideon was a man who knew no fear when he knew that he had the Word of the Lord behind him. A gigantic coalition of nomadic peoples headed up by the Midianites had rolled into Israel like an invading army of locusts, stealing their animals and destroying their crops. Their camels “could no more be counted than the sand on the seashore.” Their army numbered 135,000.
Gideon mustered 30,000 Israelites, but the Lord didn’t like those numbers. He thought Gideon had way too many. He led Gideon to reduce Israel’s force to a small battalion of 300. He gave Gideon a positive sign, allowing him to overhear a Midianite man’s dream of Israelite victory.
“When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he worshiped God. He returned to the camp of Israel and called out, ‘Get up! The Lord has given the Midianite camp into your hands.’ [He divided]the three hundred men into three companies” - Judges 7:15-16.
Not only did Gideon welcome the sign and believe the Lord’s promises; he actually divided his tiny force into three companies. The Lord didn’t even need the three hundred—he simply drove the Midianites and their allies to attack and kill one another. Through Gideon’s strong leadership, Israel had peace for 40 years.
It pleases the Lord to no end to do great things through small people, to make the extraordinary happen from the ordinary. Never say, “We are too small.” Never say, “God can’t.”
This post is adapted from Grace Moment Devotions, “It’s Not the Size” by Mark Jeske.
Related Resource: Praying Through Psalms 60: Victory in Hopeless Ground
What do you do when the battlefield stretches in every direction, and it looks like God Himself brought the defeat?
Join Jaime on the Praying Christian Women Podcast for a devotional on Psalm 60 — a raw, honest lament born out of being surrounded on all sides, where David dares to say You did this, God — and still picks up the banner and calls Him Lord.
Jaime unpacks the historical backdrop of David fighting enemies to the north, east, and south all at once, and shares a breathtaking story from her years near Death Valley — where barren, salt-crusted flats that look permanently dead suddenly erupted into a once-in-a-century bloom of purple wildflowers. Sometimes the victory is already buried right beneath the most hopeless-looking ground, waiting for God's rain to bring it to life. If this episode helps you navigate life with prayer and intention, be sure to follow Praying Christian Women on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!
