God’s Greater Power

Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread. I'm Tom Felton and I titled our reading, God's Greater Power. In March 1945, the Ghost Army helped U.S. forces achieve the Rhine River crossing, giving the Allies a vital base to operate from on World War II's Western Front. The soldiers were most definitely human, not apparitions, all part of the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops.

On this occasion, the 1,100 man team imitated 30,000 men by using inflatable decoy tanks, blasting troop and vehicle sound effects over speakers, and more. The relatively small number of Ghost Army members led the enemy to fear what appeared to be a far greater force. In Judges chapter 7, the Midianites and their allies also trembled before a tiny army that loomed large in the night. Gideon, a judge and military leader of Israel, was used by God to make his puny army a source of terror for the enemy. They also used sound effects, blown trumpets, smashed clay jars, human voices, and visible objects, blazing torches, to make the vast enemy, as thick as locusts, believe they were facing a colossal foe. Israel defeated their enemy that night with an army whittled down from 32,000 men to just 300 by God's command.

Why? Because that made it clear who truly won the battle. As God told Gideon, I have given you victory over them. When we feel weak and inferior, let's seek God and rest in his strength alone, for his power is made perfect in our weakness. Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from Judges chapter 7 verses 7 and 8 and 16 through 22. The Lord said to Gideon, With the 300 men that laughed, I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands.

Let all the others go home. So Gideon sent the rest of the Israelites home, but kept the 300 who took over the provisions and trumpets of the others. Now the camp of Midian lay below him in the valley. Now, picking up at verse 16, dividing the 300 men into three companies, he placed trumpets and empty jars in the hands of all of them with torches inside. Watch me, he told them, follow my lead. When I get to the edge of the camp, do exactly as I do. When I and all who are with me blow our trumpets, then from all around the camp blow yours and shout, For the Lord and for Gideon!

Gideon and the hundred men with him reached the edge of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, just after they had changed the guard. They blew their trumpets and broke the jars that were in their hands. The three companies blew the trumpets and smashed the jars. Grasping the torches in their left hands and holding in their right hands the trumpets they were to blow, they shouted, A sword for the Lord and for Gideon! While each man held his position around the camp, all the Midianites ran, crying out as they fled. When the 300 trumpets sounded, the Lord caused the men throughout the camp to turn on each other with their swords.

The army fled to Beth Shittah toward Zeira and as far as the border of Abel Meholah near Tabath. Let's pray. Dear Jesus, let us find your strength in our weakness. You go before us and provide what we need. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.