Sometimes life is just hard. It can easily feel like the odds are against you. As though you are completely outnumbered. As if you have no hope of overcoming your circumstances. With God on your side, you may have these very feelings but they are never accurate. Because those who rely on the Lord can always overcome the odds, defeat a larger army, and overcome any circumstance. Because it is not by your strength that you do these things but by the strength of God. The truth is sometimes God may put you in a situation where the odds seem stacked against you for your good.
God may be putting you in the perfect position to see Him move mightily in your life. Moving in such a way that you can neither take credit for the act nor explain it any other way. Just as He did when Gideon was told to whittle down his army to only 300 men. Making it so Israel could not boast in their own strength. But would be able to clearly recognize the strength of the Lord their God who fought for them.
Judges 7:2–8 (ESV)
2 The Lord said to Gideon, “The people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast over me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’ 3 Now therefore proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return home and hurry away from Mount Gilead.’ ” Then 22,000 of the people returned, and 10,000 remained.
4 And the Lord said to Gideon, “The people are still too many. Take them down to the water, and I will test them for you there, and anyone of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall go with you,’ shall go with you, and anyone of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ shall not go.” 5 So he brought the people down to the water. And the Lord said to Gideon, “Every one who laps the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set by himself. Likewise, every one who kneels down to drink.” 6 And the number of those who lapped, putting their hands to their mouths, was 300 men, but all the rest of the people knelt down to drink water.
7 And the Lord said to Gideon, “With the 300 men who lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hand, and let all the others go every man to his home.” 8 So the people took provisions in their hands, and their trumpets. And he sent all the rest of Israel every man to his tent, but retained the 300 men. And the camp of Midian was below him in the valley.
Judges 7:13–14 (ESV)
13 When Gideon came, behold, a man was telling a dream to his comrade. And he said, “Behold, I dreamed a dream, and behold, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian and came to the tent and struck it so that it fell and turned it upside down, so that the tent lay flat.” 14 And his comrade answered, “This is no other than the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel; God has given into his hand Midian and all the camp.”
Judges 7:20–22 (ESV)
20 Then the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the jars. They held in their left hands the torches, and in their right hands the trumpets to blow. And they cried out, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” 21 Every man stood in his place around the camp, and all the army ran. They cried out and fled. 22 When they blew the 300 trumpets, the Lord set every man’s sword against his comrade and against all the army. And the army fled as far as Beth-shittah toward Zererah, as far as the border of Abel-meholah, by Tabbath.
If we are honest we can admit that we all have a tendency to be proud and boast about the things we have done. Making statements such as “I did, got, found, overcame”, and so on in these certain circumstances. When the truth is we couldn’t have done anything had God not been with us.
Most of us can also probably admit to praying for God to move only to credit ourselves. Or we just mark it as a coincidence when we get the answer to our prayer. Making statements such as the doctor did this, the medicine worked, the new job just lined up, or things just worked out. When it was God who orchestrates each and everything that leads to our desired outcome.
Pride and explaining away God’s hand in our lives is sadly just another part of human nature. But they are both things we should do our best to overcome as Bible-believing Christians. As God’s word tells us not to boast in our own ability. Because doing so discredits God. And more often than not, it because of our own ability we accomplished anything. The Bible also tells us that God hears our prayers and is willing to answer them. So when we get answers to our prayers, our first thought should be that God moved.
James 4:16 (ESV)
16 As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.
Jeremiah 9:23–24 (ESV)
23 Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, 24 but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.”
1 John 5:14–15 (ESV)
14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.
It is in our nature to boast or explain away God moving in our life. Because of this, God will sometimes put us in situations in which neither option is possible. Just like we have already seen with Gideon. The Lord can, and will, make it seem like the odds are stacked against. He does this for a purpose greater than we can often see. The Bible says God works all things for the good of those who believe. That is what He does in these circumstances. It’s His way of building our faith and causing us to trust in Him fully.
Romans 8:28 (ESV)
28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
When you feel like the odds are stacked up against you, remember this, you are not alone. Do not be afraid but know that God wants to show you He is in control. Gideon defeated an entire army with only 300 men. All because God was fighting for Him and wanted to make Himself known. The same God who fought for him is fighting for you and wants to make Himself known to you.
Your circumstance is not too great for the Lord to overcome. So trust in Him and you will see your battle won. Won in a way that you will know could have only been orchestrated by God. The very odds you see as stacked against could have been stacked by the Lord Himself. All to lead you closer to Him.
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