“And the Lord said to Gideon, ‘The people who are with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me saying, “My own hand has saved me” ’ ” (Judges 7:2).
The deadliest creatures to humans are not large ones. Only ten people a year die from shark attacks. The hippopotamus kills about 500 people annually. But no other animal comes close to the lowly mosquito, which kills at least 725,000 humans every year.
How could such a small insect be so dangerous? The mosquito— Spanish for “little fly”—can carry devastating diseases. Every year 600,000 people die from malaria, a mosquito-borne infectious disease. Other diseases they carry include dengue fever, yellow fever, and encephalitis. Over 2,500 mosquito species are found on every continent except Antarctica. Besides termites and ants, they are the most numerous life form on the planet.
God told Gideon his army was too big. Even though 32,000 Israelites showed up to fight their enemy, they were still outnumbered by 135,000 Midianites—a ratio of about one Israelite for every four enemies. After asking everyone who was afraid to go home, the numbers dropped to 10,000—a ratio of one Israelite against thirteen Midianites. One more time Gideon thinned the ranks when he picked only men who drank from a stream by cupping water in their hand, instead of those who laid down on their stomachs and lapped up the water. Only 300 men were left—a ratio of one Israelite for every 450 enemy soldiers!
Gideon was inspired to shock the enemy in the middle of the night by sounding trumpets and uncovering torches. The Midianites were fooled into thinking a giant army had overtaken them. The confused soldiers ran for their lives, killing each other in the process. Gideon’s impossible odds of victory highlighted the fact that even if you are small in number, when you join with God, you become an unstoppable force for good.
Dear Jesus, may I have the courage of Gideon to believe that though I am weak, in You I am strong.
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