The Water Test

"Bring them down to the water, and I will test them…" (Judges 7:4 NKJV).

If somebody keeps refusing to support you, let them go or you’ll wish you had. This is especially hard to accept if you’re a nurturer by nature – the type of person who wants to fix everyone. You can’t convert the fearful into the faithful. That’s God’s job, and His "water test" showed Gideon who he could count on and who he couldn’t.

God told Gideon: "You have too large an army...they’ll take the credit. Make an announcement: 'Anyone...who has any reservations about the battle ahead may leave.” Twenty-two companies headed home. Ten were left. God said...' There are still too many. Take them down to the stream and I’ll make a final cut’" (v. 2-4).

When the opposition is arrayed against you like "sand on the seashore" (v.12) that is often the time when you lose the most support. Don’t worry, God is at work. During the first cut, when Joshua lost 22,000 men, what looked like a set-back was actually a set-up from God to determine who was dependable. Eventually Gideon’s force was reduced down three hundred.

When God reduces your support, it’s to give you a miraculous victory. It’s designed to show that somebody without formal credentials (such a Gideon, or yourself) can run a company or lead a successful ministry. This story is designed to show how someone who has lost everything can make a comeback.

So when people around you can’t pass God’s “water test,” let them go and simply trust God. He has something much better in mind.