April 27

Judges 7:1-8:17, Luke 23:13-43, Psalm 97:1-98:9, Proverbs 14:7-8 

Pray: God, we never know when You are using the every day things of life to test our faith. The men in Gideon’s army were tested by the way they drank water. Lord, help us to be on guard so that when we are tested we will remain faithful to You. Amen.

Read: Imagine 32,000 Israelites facing 135,000 Midianites, talk about being outnumbered. This is exactly the kind of situation that the Lord uses to glorify His Name. When God is on your side the size of the enemy doesn’t matter. The only true enemy was in the hearts of Gideon’s army. So God cut down their numbers even more from 10,000 to 300, so that the army had to trust completely in God. When God strips away those things in our life that we are trusting in for our safety or even for our prosperity, it’s not to make us poor or to put us in danger but to strengthen our faith in God.

Edify: There is so much we can be encouraged by as we read of the loving sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. One moment that sticks out to me is that thief next to Jesus seeking to be saved. This man is the perfect example for us that our works will not save us. There was nothing this man could ever do to earn righteousness with Jesus. His hands and feet were literally nailed to a cross and yet Jesus tells the man “today you will be with me in paradise.” The grace of God is truly a gift!

Practice: Join me in seeking to be fully aware of opportunities for our faith to be tested just like Gideon’s men, that we might be faithful even in the small things each day.