25th January 2026

Strength in Weakness

The Lord said to Gideon,

“You have too many men.”

Judges 7:2

Today's Bible Reading: Judges 7:1–9.

Why did God intentionally weaken Gideon’s forces before his troops confronted the Midianites? Firstly, those who were afraid were allowed to leave—twenty-two thousand men went home (Judges 7:3). Then, of the ten thousand who remained, only those who scooped water into their hands to drink could stay. Just three hundred men were left, but this disadvantage prevented the Israelites from relying on themselves (v5–6). They could not say, “My own strength has saved me” (v 2).

We all experience times when we feel drained and powerless. When this happened we need to realise how much we needed God. He encouraged us inwardly through His Spirit and outwardly through the helpfulness of friends and family. We have to let go of our independence for a while, but this teaches us how to lean and rest more fully on God. Because “[His] power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9), we can have hope when we cannot meet our needs on our own.

Prayer: Dear God, help me to depend on You more and more each day. In Jesus name. Amen.