Judges 7:2
‘And the LORD said to Gideon, “The people who are with you are too many for Me to hand Midian over to them, otherwise Israel would become boastful, saying, ‘My own power has saved me.’”‘
This is great. God wanted the message to be clear. When He gave them victory over the Midianites He wanted them to know without a doubt that it was Him that did it. If He didn’t do this even if they knew God delivered them in the moment, it would have been too easy to forget. Doubters in the future woudn’t even have considered it a miracle. Not now. This victory is at the level of the Egyptian miracles.
The first lesson I take away is God gets the glory. He deserves it. Creation is His first miracle. How perfect this world is, the wonderful things in it. He deserves praise for it. Unfortunately not all give Him the praise due Him. Romans 1:20,21 says, “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, being understood by what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their reasonings, and their senseless hearts were darkened.” They knew He was the creator, but they didn’t want to praise Him. This is so wrong. They love the benefits of creation, but choose not to thank Him. It’s like a parent telling a child to say “thank you”. It’s not natural nor do they want to do it. The consequence is that their reasoning becomes futile and their hearts are darkened. The weird thing is that they aren’t aware of this.
God can do miracles through us. Maybe He wants to make it clear to us that He did something. Maybe He wants to use us in something to deliver that message. If this is to be then He will do it. We aren’t to manufacture anything. Doubtful that it would be on the scale of Gideon.
I have seen God use pastors in this way. Chuck Smith and Rick Warren are two examples. They both make it quite clear that God did it. The apostle Paul is another example. Some may say that they all had great gifts. I would agree, but they refer to the thorn in the flesh they had. Paul was the first one to use that phrase. We’re not sure if it was poor eyesight or something else with him. Pastor Rick had a brain issue. I forget what Pastor Chuck’s thorn was. God allowed them with their issue to keep them humble so they would know where the power came from.
In a small sense we all give glory to God for the miracle of salvation, the filling of the Spirit and His using us. All christians can glorify God for these daily miracles.
Thank You, Lord, for Your power and Your great deeds. You are so good to us. Help us to be open to being used by You.