How hard are you willing to strive in order to achieve victory? Gideon had already won a major battle. But the war wasn’t over yet. There were still enemies in the land! Gideon might have reasoned that the invaders had already been beaten. He could have taken comfort in the knowledge that the invaders were now on the eastern side of the Jordan River. He could have stopped to celebrate the amazing victory his little band had already achieved against seemingly insurmountable odds. Further, Gideon’s forces were exhausted. They had fought through the night! They had chased their enemy relentlessly. Surely it was time to stop and rest.
Yet Gideon was not finished. He was determined to complete the job God had given him. Anyone might have excused him for taking time to catch his breath. But often the victories God grants us are minimized or negated because we do not follow through with them to the finish. We can see the finish line in the distance so we decide it is time to stop for a rest. Complete victory is traded in for partial victory. A portion of our enemy is allowed to escape to fight in another day.
Have you seen God’s assignments for you through to the end? Or, have you paused to catch your breath? Could it be that you still need to push through to the end?