Do we really understand that everything and anything we do is only ever accomplished because of the gracious hand of God on us? We labour in vain when we think we can succeed in any endeavour without the Lord. How prideful it is for us to accept praise for our achievements. Yes, we may have studied and worked hard. I'm not denying that we have a part to play, but who brings the knowledge to our mind or gives the skills or vision for the task? We need to always humbly respond to admiration and applause by also acknowledging the Giver of our gifts and abilities.
In Judges 7 we see a perfect example of God protecting Gideon and his men from becoming proud in their own strength. Gideon is assembling an army to defeat the Midianites. He gathers all his warriors then the LORD speaks to Gideon and says, "You have too many warriors with you. If I let all of you fight the Midianites, the Israelites will boast to Me that they saved themselves by their own strength. Therefore, tell the people, 'Whoever is timid or afraid may leave this mountain and go home.' So 22,000 of them went home, leaving only 10,000 who were willing to fight. But the LORD told Gideon, 'There are still too many!'" The LORD gives direction on how to separate the warriors again, until only 300 men remain. "The LORD told Gideon, 'With these 300 men I will rescue you and give you victory over the Midianites. Send all the others home.'"
Bigger is not always better. Sometimes the Lord has to remove our safety net. We can plan and prepare for anything in such a way that the outcome of victory results in missing seeing God. At times He has to strip away all other trusts so that He is evidenced and experienced. The Midianite infantry numbered 135,000 so even if all of Gideon's men had joined the battle, the Midian men outnumbered them by over 100,000, yet God didn't want them to miss this opportunity of seeing His power at work. In the end it was only 300 men who were given success over an army numbering 450 times their size! Keeping the other 31,700 would have actually hindered their victory and been a detriment to Gideon. Any doubt now who enabled them to triumph?
When will we finally understand it is never about us and our abilities? Psalm 75 tells us that God raises whom He will. In Ecclesiastes 9 we read how the results of a race are not always to the swift or the battle to the strong. It is God's participation in every activity of our lives that determines the outcome. Now, that does not give us permission to sit back and do nothing. In thankfulness and love for the Lord, we are told to always give our best, doing each thing that our hand finds to do with all our might (Ecclesiastes 9:10). We honour God when we give our best, and in turn He often blesses our efforts, but the outcome is always up to Him. He has purpose in every deemed "failure" and in every "win".
I think it is safe to assume that not one of us desires our work to be in vain, but if God is not involved in what we are doing, it is meaningless. Let's commit the tasks before us to the Lord. We don't want our lives to be futile, but fruitful. It is only God who causes all things to grow. May we not expend our energy on worthless pursuits, but invite the Lord into every area of our life, trusting Him to determine the outcome for His greatest glory!
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