Every Morning — September 7, 2026: Left, Not Wrong
Your "flaw" might be God's strategy in disguise.
Key Scripture
Judges 3:15–17, 21 (WEB)
"But when the children of Israel cried to Yahweh, Yahweh raised them up a savior, Ehud the son of Gera, the Benjamite, a left-handed man… he made him a sword which had two edges, a cubit in length; and he wore it under his clothing on his right thigh. He offered the tribute to Eglon king of Moab. Now Eglon was a very fat man… Ehud put out his left hand, and took the sword from his right thigh, and thrust it into his body."
Devotional
There was a man in the Bible whose people needed rescuing from a king who had gotten a little too comfortable with power.
This was fairly normal back then. Israel sins, Israel gets oppressed, Israel cries out, God sends help. Rinse and repeat. Sigh. It's basically the Old Testament's recurring plotline.
But before I turn this into a history lecture, let me introduce you to the two men at the center of this one, because both of them are still walking around today. You've probably met their modern versions.
First, Ehud.
His defining feature, according to Scripture, is that he was left-handed. In a world that trusted the right hand for everything — combat, honor, business — Ehud's whole rescue plan worked because nobody expected the "wrong" hand to be dangerous. He strapped his blade to the thigh nobody searched. The thing that made him different is the exact thing that got him into the room.
Maybe you've spent years quietly convinced that your version of "left-handed" — your personality, your past, your accent, your unconventional story — makes you less usable to God. Paul disagrees: "God chose the foolish things… to shame the wise" (1 Corinthians 1:27). Nobody's checking your résumé before deciding whether God can use you.
Now, Eglon.
Scripture doesn't hold back — it flatly calls him "a very fat man," which, in context, isn't really about his body. It's about a king who had gotten so soft on comfort, tribute, and self-importance that he never saw danger walking straight into his throne room. He was too relaxed in his own excess to stay alert.
That's the part that should make us squirm a little.
Excess has a way of doing that to anyone — leader or not. Comfort convinces you nothing can touch you right up until it does. "Pride goes before destruction" (Proverbs 16:18). Eglon didn't lose his kingdom to an army. He lost it in one private moment because he'd stopped paying attention.
Here's the hope in all this: God didn't wait for Ehud to feel qualified, and He didn't need Eglon's kingdom to stay intact for His plans to move forward. Whatever "wrong hand" you've been hiding, and whatever excess or comfort has made you sluggish lately — today's a good day to notice both.
"My strength is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9).
Bring the hand you actually have. Stay awake in your own house.
Prayer
Lord, thank You for using exactly what I have, even the parts I've been embarrassed by. Wake me up where I've gotten too comfortable, and give me courage to move when You call — even without feeling fully ready. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Dig Deeper
Judges 3:12–30
1 Corinthians 1:26–29
Proverbs 16:18
2 Corinthians 12:7–10
Reading Plan
Today's Reading
Judges 3
Proverbs 16
1 Corinthians 1
Today's Thought
God doesn't need your strongest hand or your most comfortable season. He just needs you awake and willing.
From Every Morning — September 2026 by Margaret Nwakaego Usio.