I will be with you.
—Judges 6:16
God chose Gideon to save Israel in a lopsided fight with Midianite invaders. Gideon objected that his family was the weakest of their tribe, and that he was the least important member of the family. God countered: “I will be with you.”
Gideon put lots of boots on the ground—32,000 troops. God said that was too many, lest they claim, “My own strength has saved me.” So, Gideon said that anyone who was afraid could go home; 22,000 hightailed it.
“Still too many,” the Lord said. So, another 9,700 were dismissed. Then, with a measly 300 men, Israel crushed the too-many-to-count enemy.
It’s an exciting story about what God can do with just a handful. (You can read the whole story in Judges 6 and 7.)
Our resources—intellectual, numerical, or financial—can be the enemy of our trust.
Trust is the antidote to fear.