Looking Back

I remember writing a friend long ago, saying "I have found it encouraging to write down the prayers and petitions that I lay before God, so as to not forget His guiding hand in my life." Tonight I found myself reading through some of my old posts and I ran across this one that really encouraged me.

I posted this back on SUNDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2007


-WHY DOES GOD MAKE IT IMPOSSIBLE-

I found this passage very encouraging yesterday...

Why does God at times whittle us down to nothing, making it truly impossible for us to cary out His will? Doesn't He know what we need in order to do all that He asks? Here in Judges we see Gideon, least in Manasseh, and youngest in his father's house, asked by the Lord to go and deliver his people from the hand of Midian. Gideon gathers 32,000 men for the fight and God says "The people who are with you are too many for Me to give Midian into their hands, for Israel would become boastful, saying, 'My own power has delivered me.'' So God whittles the army down from 32,000 to 300 men. God did this for the sole purpose of making them realize that it's not the number that won the battle but the Lord.

When God calls you to do something and dwindles all your resources , don't worry. Learn not to trust in who you are or what you have, but rather in who God is. Not wishing for us to boast in anything but Him and Him alone. He will accomplish His will and He will win every battle that He calls us to fight.

Colossians 1:20
...I labor, Striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.

Judges 7: 1-7 (you should read the whole story)

Then Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the people who were with him, rose early and camped beside the spring of Harod; and the camp of Midian was on the north side of them by the hill of Moreh in the valley. The LORD said to Gideon, "The people who are with you are too many for Me to give Midian into their hands, for Israel would become boastful, saying, 'My own power has delivered me.' "Now therefore come, proclaim in the hearing of the people, saying, 'Whoever is afraid and trembling, let him return and depart from Mount Gilead.'" So 22,000 people returned, but 10,000 remained. Then the LORD said to Gideon, "The people are still too many; bring them down to the water and I will test them for you there. Therefore it shall be that he of whom I say to you, 'This one shall go with you,' he shall go with you; but everyone of whom I say to you, 'This one shall not go with you,' he shall not go." So he brought the people down to the water. And the LORD said to Gideon, "You shall separate everyone who laps the water with his tongue as a dog laps, as well as everyone who kneels to drink." Now the number of those who lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was 300 men; but all the rest of the people kneeled to drink water. The LORD said to Gideon, "I will deliver you with the 300 men who lapped and will give the Midian