Have you ever faced impossible odds? Have you looked at a situation and thought it was completely hopeless? What do you rely on in that moment of desperation?
Going into war with half the troops of your opponent, and finding your enemy had surrounded you while you were monologuing would qualify as a thoroughly desperate situation.
But God.
Whatever circumstance you are facing today that seems hopeless does not have the final word. And your victory in that situation is not about bootstraps or bravado.
Believing in a God who is sovereign means believing that there is no situation over which He cannot give you victory.
There is no diagnosis beyond His healing.
There is no financial crisis beyond His provision.
There is no prodigal child beyond His reach.
There is no legal ramification beyond His redemption.
Regardless of whether our situation is the result of others’ malice or our own foolishness or sin, God is able to work all things together for good.
We just have to embrace His definition of good.
God created the universe and declared each of the things He created to be good, so it is His prerogative to define what good is. Trusting Him means trusting that when we see Him face to face, we will know without any doubt, without any question, and without any regrets, that ALL of what God has allowed in our lives was good.
Despite the overwhelming odds, God rescued the nation of Judah from the larger army of Israel which had them surrounded. “The Israelites were subdued on that occasion, and the people of Judah were victorious because they relied on the Lord, the God of their ancestors.”
Judah wasn’t victorious because of military might, strategy, wisdom, or weaponry. They were victorious because they understood (at least for that moment) their source of power was submission to God.
The Bible resonates from beginning to end with the theme of trusting not in our power and strength, but in God’s. It proclaims the victory of laying down our lives for others. It celebrates the joy of giving rather than receiving.
Finding power and victory in submission runs counter to American culture. It’s why the notion of sharing any power or privilege is so challenging. When we have placed our faith in our own self-sufficiency instead of God’s all-sufficiency, we cannot afford to give away anything. We hoard power as if it were knick-knacks we’re paying monthly rent on a storage unit to keep, instead of plugging in to the Source of power and trusting it to be reliable when we need it.
Going into war with half the troops of your opponent, and finding your enemy had surrounded you while you were monologuing would qualify as a thoroughly desperate situation.
But God.
Whatever circumstance you are facing today that seems hopeless does not have the final word. And your victory in that situation is not about bootstraps or bravado.
Believing in a God who is sovereign means believing that there is no situation over which He cannot give you victory.
There is no diagnosis beyond His healing.
There is no financial crisis beyond His provision.
There is no prodigal child beyond His reach.
There is no legal ramification beyond His redemption.
Regardless of whether our situation is the result of others’ malice or our own foolishness or sin, God is able to work all things together for good.
We just have to embrace His definition of good.
God created the universe and declared each of the things He created to be good, so it is His prerogative to define what good is. Trusting Him means trusting that when we see Him face to face, we will know without any doubt, without any question, and without any regrets, that ALL of what God has allowed in our lives was good.
Despite the overwhelming odds, God rescued the nation of Judah from the larger army of Israel which had them surrounded. “The Israelites were subdued on that occasion, and the people of Judah were victorious because they relied on the Lord, the God of their ancestors.”
Judah wasn’t victorious because of military might, strategy, wisdom, or weaponry. They were victorious because they understood (at least for that moment) their source of power was submission to God.
The Bible resonates from beginning to end with the theme of trusting not in our power and strength, but in God’s. It proclaims the victory of laying down our lives for others. It celebrates the joy of giving rather than receiving.
Finding power and victory in submission runs counter to American culture. It’s why the notion of sharing any power or privilege is so challenging. When we have placed our faith in our own self-sufficiency instead of God’s all-sufficiency, we cannot afford to give away anything. We hoard power as if it were knick-knacks we’re paying monthly rent on a storage unit to keep, instead of plugging in to the Source of power and trusting it to be reliable when we need it.
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