Faint, Yet Pursuing
“And Gideon came to Jordan, and passed over, he, and the three hundred men that were with him, faint, yet pursuing them. And he said unto the men of Succoth, Give, I pray you, loaves of bread unto the people that follow me; for they be faint, and I am pursuing after Zebah and Zalmunna, kings of Midian. And the princes of Succoth said, Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in thine hand, that we should give bread unto thine army?”–Judges 8:4–6
After the amazing victory God gave Gideon over the Midianites, most of the enemy army was destroyed, but those who remained alive fled. Rather than settling for a partial victory, Gideon and his band of three hundred courageous warriors chased after them. Despite the fact that they were tired, hungry, and greatly outnumbered, they were committed to tracking down and destroying those who threatened their land. Even when they were refused help by those who could and should have aided them, they simply refused to stop.
Dr. Bob Jones, Sr. said, “The test of a man’s character is what it takes to stop him.” Every worthwhile task is going to encounter obstacles and difficulties. There will always be excuses that could be made for quitting. There will always be reasons why we have done enough and someone else should pick up the cause and run with it. There will always be fatigue from labor and a desire to stop and rest. There will always be those who could help, but choose to criticize instead. But if the cause is burning in our hearts, we will not stop.
Sometimes we give up too easily in pursuing opportunities which God has placed in our paths because we become weary in overcoming the obstacles. We should remember Gideon and his men who, even when they were faint, continued pursuing.
The thing that stops people is not an obstacle, but a lack of commitment to their cause.– Dr. Paul Chappell
David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346
