August 4

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But Gideon said to them, ‘I will not rule over you, nor shall my son rule over you; the Lord shall rule over you.’ Judges 8:23

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🔊 This declaration by Gideon goes to the heart of the Kingdom of God. Among human beings there is competition to occupy the place of power – there are elections, revolutions and other forms of power struggle. But this is not so in the Kingdom of God. God’s throne is never vacant, and none of the positions in His kingdom are open to volunteers. The great beings that surround His throne are given their position by the will and authority of God alone. This should fill all of us, God’s servants, with a deep sense of rest about ourselves and our work for Him. All we need to do as servants of God is to find our God-appointed place and rest our hearts there. There we find all the resources and authority we need to fulfil our work. There we also see the futility of politics among God’s people. We must utterly forsake the desire to be important, or our hearts will never be at rest. No amount of striving can change the fact of God’s rule, nor can it improve our own career in the kingdom! The answer is to bow and worship, and delight in the will of Him who rules over all. This is not a resigned acceptance of the inevitable. When the veil is lifted and we see beyond it, we see a world of millions of glorious beings worshipping and serving. A glimpse into that world makes this world’s conflicts fade into irrelevance. There is more power in the little finger of God than in all the combined powers of the human race. It is exciting and fulfilling to find our place in His kingdom, and we will never lose that place – it is ours for ever.