TRUSTING IN THE LORD- PART III

We are told in Proverbs 3:5-6, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths."
According to this passage, there should never be a time when we aren't trusting in the Lord, acknowledging Him in all our ways so He can direct our paths.  When a person is blessed with a sharp mind, a strong body and ample resources, it's easy to assume that we don't always need to acknowledge God in every situation.  But when that thought, "I can handle it", comes to mind, we best be careful to acknowledge the Lord because He may have a better plan that will produce a better result.

An example of that occurred in the life of Gideon.  In Judges, chapter 7, we have the account of Gideon and his army confronting the Midianites, Amalekites and the children of the east who were gathered together to do battle against Israel.  As Gideon inquires of the Lord, the Lord tells him, "The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against Me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me.  Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying,
 Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand.  And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there: and it shall be, that of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the same shall not go." (Judges 7:2-4)

So, Gideon brings the remaining soldiers of his army to the water and the Lord tells Gideon that every person that laps the water with his tongue, as a dog laps water, shall remain with Gideon and those that bow down upon their knees to drink water shall not. The number of those that lapped the water, putting their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men.  The rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink.

At the outset of an impending battle, Gideon has an armed military force of 32,000 men. When God said to have the fearful go home, only 10,000 men remained.  Of those that remained, only 300 passed the "water drinking test" and remained with Gideon to face the enemy.

God then tells Gideon, "Arise, get thee down unto host; for I have delivered it into thine hand."  At that point, Gideon has a decision to make.  "Do I trust in the Lord with all my heart, or do I lean to my own understanding."  The scripture says that the Midianites, Amalekites and all the children of the east lay along the valley like grasshoppers for multitude; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the seaside for multitude.  Gideon chose to believe the Lord in spite of the circumstances and God gave him further instruction.

Gideon divides the 300 men into three companies putting a trumpet in every man's hand, with empty pitchers, and lamps within the pitchers.  At the sound of Gideon's trumpet, they are to blow their trumpets and say, The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon.  At nightfall, they blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers that were in their hands.  They held up their lamps with their left hands and held their trumpets in their right hands and cried, The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon. At the sound of their voices and trumpets, many of the enemy cried and fled.  Others turned against themselves, slaying each other with their swords. The Lord wrought a mighty victory that day against a mighty army with only 300 men!

With thousands of skilled, armed soldiers, Gideon might have engaged the enemy without acknowledging the Lord.  He may have even won.  But at what price?  How many men would Gideon have lost?  How many widows and orphans would have remained in Israel.  Today, how many men have sought fortune and fame, succeeded, but only to lose their marriage and families?  How many have employed their skills and resources without seeking the Lord, only to find themselves spiritually bankrupt, "building a house", but all in vain.  Psalm 127:1 reads, "Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it."  According to this passage, a person can labour and succeed at building something, but their efforts will be for nought.

It always pays to trust in the Lord with all our heart, leaning not to our own understanding, acknowledging Him in all our ways so He can direct our paths.  If we do, God will set us on a path of victory.  God will set us on a path of prosperity.  God will reveal a plan that requires a lot less effort, a lot less time and a lot better outcome!!!