Judges 7:2 And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me.
Here is the same problem occurring again, where the tendency to take the glory of God’s miraculous work to themselves, caused The Lord to send back home 31,700 men, who otherwise might seem to have been motivated to do The Lord’s work. Were they eager, yes, they were, were they willing, yes, they were, but the attitude of attributing the victory to the human agent, leaves Gideon with only 300 men, and the reason is given in the Scriptures, so that we will understand why God was displeased when David numbered the people.
The reason why we are spending so much time on the issue of stealing God’s glory, is because it could affect the answers you may, or may not get to your prayers. It is that serious, for if there’s a tendency in the individual to take credit for success and victory, your prayers could actually go unanswered. In the case of Elijah, when he was at the top of Mt. Carmel, where, if he had failed, he would be torn in pieces, he relied entirely upon God, and his humble dependence bore fruit in an immediate answer to his single, simple prayer.
1st Kings 18:36 And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word. 37 Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the Lord God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again.
1st Kings 18:38 Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.
May God add His blessing to the study of His word. “Good night” and God bless!