The story in church was one I have heard many times before. But the minister illustrated it in ways that brought meaning. Gideon was up against the Mideonites, whose army was a hundred and thirty five thousand strong. Gideon had just thirty two thousand.
These were merely numbers for me in the past, but this time I could picture it. The minister, or perhaps his kids, had counted out 450 Lego people and clicked them into formation. Gideon's army had a hundred by comparison. The odds didn't look great. Then the Lord told Gideon to send home anyone who was afraid, and twenty thousand left. But the Lord still thought it was too many.
What?
God wanted it to be absolutely clear that the victory was not because of man's strength. That's why he created a test. Gideon commanded the troop to go down to the water to drink. Most men went down on all fours with their faces in the water, but a handful scooped the water in their hands, and lapped like dogs. Three hundred, alert and ready for battle. That was all God needed. The rest were dismissed. In Lego speak, it was a ratio of 450 to one.
As an illustration of the power of a small amount of goodness over a troop of evil, the minister had a bowl of water. He sprinkled pepper across the surface, like negative thoughts. Then he squeezed a single drop of soap into the middle and in a flash the pepper sprang to the edges as fast as it could. It was astonishing.
Sometimes all it take is a few words of kindness to evict a head full of doubt.
"I believe in you."
or
"I love you."
He spoke of how a single candle can take on an entire room packed with darkness. But darkness has no power of its own. He cupped his hands together, as if he had caught a firefly.
"I have a piece of dark. You cannot see it but it's here. I am going to release it into the room, and see if it can overcome the light here." Then he uncupped them.
Nothing happened.
Maybe we feel outnumbered by those voices that try to diminish us. But a small amount of hope can push back a thousand empty threats.
