War cry

300 Israelites vs 135,000 Midianites—while the men of the world drew a clear victory just looking at the line-up, God saw beyond.

No swords, spears, bows or arrows; just trumpets, clay pots and torches.
The battle was won; and in wonder, the men asked “How?”
Gideon just pointed above,
Can you define ‘beyond’ now? 

The word ‘battle’ is repeated throughout the Bible—both literally and metaphorically, unique in every scenario. While some had swords and bloodshed, there were ones fought with just a sling and a stone and a few, without anything.

Some of the toughest battles of my life were fought without any weapon, particularly the ones in the last six months—the hardest ones. I felt like I was in the middle of the battlefield, unequipped to fight and helpless. I was drowning in self-pity and thought that I would be completely crush me; I thought it would be the end of me. I felt angry at times. Every time, I sensed an attack, I was always quick to defend myself. I thought that I needed to say and be; say what I thought needed to be said and act like I am strong enough to fight it on my own. I did try to fight the battles in my own strength and that was absolute foolishness, to say the least. I was right in a pity party — And it was when I hit rock bottom that I remembered that I get value only when God is before me. Sometimes, we need to fall in order to reach out.

There was a battle cry, but I wasn’t ready. Thank God for His mercy that convicted me and made me understand that the battles of the world and the devil are too much for me to me to fight alone. God graciously enabled me to lay my questions down and place my requests before Him. He reminded me of His character again; never forget that God’s power and might is still relevant today. God has never changed and never will. I firmly believe that it is the deep understanding of His character that brings about genuine transformation. I was also reminded of His past faithfulness where I have seen Him move in supernatural ways to deliver my family and I. When we know God for who He is, we don’t need to witness a miracle to authenticate His faithfulness but on the fact that He is our Father and we are His children—a relationship that results in constant fellowship. Being obedient to His voice and leading—I have had to humble myself to be obedient to His voice and do the hard things; things that I wouldn’t have been able to do with my own strength but only through His grace and power. Remember, obedience to God always brings blessings, I have experienced that in a very tangible way. This does not mean that you will not go through trials, but whatever evil comes our way, God will always have the last say.

Joel and I have truly learned the art of warfare in this season, we have learned to let the Holy Spirit override the resistance of the flesh; we have learned that when God is all we have, that is more than enough, because He is all we need. 

Evangelist D. L. Moody wrote in his book The Christian’s Warfare:

When I was converted, I made this mistake; I thought the battle was already mine, the victory already won, the crown already in my grasp. I thought that the old things had passed away, that all things had become new, and that my old corrupt nature, the Adam life, was gone.
But I found out, after serving Christ for a few months, that conversion was only like enlisting in the army. There was a battle on hand, and if I was to get a crown, I had to work for it and fight for it.

There was a battle at hand and I had to buck up and fight it. Not by myself though, but with God by my side. As I spent more and more time with Him and His word, my faith overcame the greatest of fears. This season taught me why the Bible has so much emphasis on battles; it was to guide me through mine. And the best advice that the Word gives is to—stay still, be vigilant, take our positions and wait silently. “Wait for what?” you may ask—the deliverance of the Lord.

The song ‘Surrounded’ by Michael W Smith has been on repeat in our home for the past couple of months. While it may look like we’re surrounded, we should stand fearless on the fact that we are surrounded by God’s presence which is way stronger than a million armies. This is what God reminds us through the story of Gideon and the Midianites in Judges 6 and 7—the story of how 132,000 Midianite soldiers were defeated by 300 Israeli men.

The Midianites had tortured the Israelites for many years. They stole their crops and animals. The Israelites were so frightened that they hid in caves in the hills away from their homes. God chose Gideon to help the Israelites fight the Midianites. He was not a soldier—Gideon was a farmer. He knew that he could not defeat the Midianites all by himself. Even though Gideon did not seem strong, the Lord chose him to lead Israel. He knew that he must obey God; he knew that only God would help him defeat the Midianites.

Gideon gathered 30,000 men together—a big army. But the Midianites had an even bigger army with 132,000 men. Maybe if they fought really hard, the Israelites could beat the Midianites. But God had something else planned. For Him, this army also was big—He told Gideon to let all of the men who were afraid to go home. Twenty thousand men went home. Imagine the shock Gideon must have had. Now there were only 10,000 men left in the army. Ten thousand men to fight 132,000 men! But, guess what, this was still too big for God.

The Lord told Gideon to take the 10,000 men down to the water to drink. Gideon was to watch the men take a drink from the water. If a man knelt to the water and put his mouth to the water and lapped it like a dog, then he was told to go home. If a man knelt but scooped water into his hand and then up to his mouth to drink, he could stay in Gideon’s army. Only 300 men scooped water up to their mouths. That meant that Gideon’s army now had only 300 men! Three hundred to fight against 132,000 Midianites! At this point both Gideon and his men knew that only God could help them win the battle.
That night, Gideon and his men went down to spy on the Midianite camp. Gideon heard some of Midianite soldiers talking—they had been having dreams about the Israelite soldiers defeating them. One dreamed that a giant round loaf of bread tumbled down the hill and crushed the Midianite camp. Ah, the reassurance that God gives, that too from the mouth of the enemy.
Gideon divided his men into three groups of 100. He gave each man a trumpet, a clay pot with a torch inside. He told them to circle all around the outside of the Midianite camp and wait until they heard him blow his trumpet. When Gideon blew his trumpet, he and all of the rest of the soldiers started blowing their trumpets. Then they crushed their clay jars so that it looked like a circle of fire around the camp. They all yelled, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” Terrified, the Midianites got up and started fighting, however, against each other. The Lord made them get all confused. The Midianite army of 132,000 was defeated, and no sword was lifted by the Israelites. God wanted the Israelites and all of Midian to know that no matter how big the enemy is, the victory belongs to God. And sometimes, you don’t even have to lift a sword. Just listen to Him–TRUST and OBEY even when it is hard, even when it seems impossible. Gideon did, and he tasted the victory that God gave him. Know that God’s side always wins.

Frederick Douglas, the famous ex-slave and American abolitionist, gave one of the most pessimistic speeches in Boston’s Faneuil Hall once. A packed house heard his woes on the evils of slavery, and concluded hopelessly saying that the white people of America would never put an end to their bondage. There was only one answer, he asserted gloomily, and that was an armed revolt by the slaves themselves, which could only result in wholesale slaughter. But there was one voice—an African American woman. She arose, her six-feet height made Frederick look like a dwarf. “Frederick, is God dead?”— As recounted by W.E.B Dubios.

Sometimes we forget that the God we serve lives, He is sovereign and He is in control. We are so focussed on the army around us, the weapons they have and their numbers. He reminds us to lean on Him instead of leaning on our own understanding. Always remember, the battle belongs to the Lord. He is alive and He sees BEYOND impossibilities. He is Israel’s deliverer—yours and mine as well, and He absolutely loves coming to our aid. So, depend on Him only! 

Hold on to this verse Exodus 14:14
“The Lord will fight for you; you must be quiet.”