Against All Odds

As I sat and thought about where I still am, I began to get discouraged. God has given me a clear vision, but if I can be honest, when I look at my circumstances and where I come from, the likelihood of me getting there is very low. I can’t seem to wrap my mind around it. It’s almost like I’m facing this constant battle of faith and reality in my mind.

Walking by faith has always been a challenge because I am very practical. I think in numbers, probability, actuality, and fact. In every scenario I automatically agree with the option that seems the most feasible. So, as I walk by faith, I constantly have to make a choice.

Will I cling to what my eyes can see, or will I cling to what the Lord has spoken over me?

For we live by believing and not by seeing. (2 Corinthians 5:7 NLT)

This is why I must make every effort to keep my eyes fixed on Christ. I have realized that my focus determines what I believe in. When I focus on my circumstances, my problems get bigger and bigger. But when I focus on my God, He becomes greater and greater in my life. This is when my faith grows…this is when I can believe everything that He has spoken to me.

And so, as I became discouraged, I rehearsed how unlikely my situation is to change. I thought about the facts and the feasibility. I thought of how small my ability is compared to where I am trying to go, and the Holy Spirit said, “Exactly.” He reminded me that He loves working in the most impossible situations…

Lately I’ve been studying the book of Deuteronomy. As I was reading the other day, I came across a scripture that I hadn’t paid much attention to in the past.

“The Lord did not set his heart on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other nations, for you were the smallest of all nations! (Deuteronomy 7:7 NLT)

In this scripture, Moses is talking to the nation of Israel, the chosen people of God. And He tells them that God did not choose them because they were great, in fact, they were “the smallest of all nations.” And the Holy Spirit brought this scripture to my remembrance the day that I was discouraged. He showed me that He chose a nation that was small and insignificant to make His name great. But it didn’t end there, the Holy Spirit reminded me that He brought this small insignificant nation from a barren womb.

Then one of them said, “I will return to you about this time next year, and your wife, Sarah, will have a son!” Sarah was listening to this conversation from the tent. Abraham and Sarah were both very old by this time, and Sarah was long past the age of having children. So she laughed silently to herself and said, “How could a worn-out woman like me enjoy such pleasure, especially when my master—my husband—is also so old?” Then the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh? Why did she say, ‘Can an old woman like me have a baby?’ Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return about this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.” (Genesis 18:10‭-‬14 NLT)

God chose a woman that was barren to birth the nation that He would use to make His name great.

And there are so many other examples in the bible…

When we look at 1 Samuel 9, we see that Saul, Israel’s first king, was a man of insignificance.

“I am the seer!” Samuel replied. “Go up to the place of worship ahead of me. We will eat there together, and in the morning I’ll tell you what you want to know and send you on your way. And don’t worry about those donkeys that were lost three days ago, for they have been found. And I am here to tell you that you and your family are the focus of all Israel’s hopes.” Saul replied, “But I’m only from the tribe of Benjamin, the smallest tribe in Israel, and my family is the least important of all the families of that tribe! Why are you talking like this to me?” (1 Samuel 9:19‭-‬21 NLT)

When we think of our Savior, we must remember that God chose to bring Him out of a place of insignificance.

Philip went to look for Nathanael and told him, “We have found the very person Moses and the prophets wrote about! His name is Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth.” “Nazareth!” exclaimed Nathanael. “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” “Come and see for yourself,” Philip replied. (John 1:45‭-‬46 NLT)

What were the odds that the chosen people would be the most insignificant? What were the odds that they would be birthed from a barren womb?

What were the odds that Israel’s first king would come from a place of insignificance?

What were the odds the King of Kings would come from a place of insignificance?

The odds were not great. It didn’t seem feasible that the nation of Israel would be able to defeat the great nations they were facing, but the Lord was with them. It didn’t seem feasible that Sarah would give birth to this nation, chosen by God, but the Lord was with her. It didn’t seem feasible that Israel’s first king would come from a place of such insignificance, but the Lord was with him. And It didn’t seem feasible that our Savior would rise from such a small insignificant town, but the Lord loves the insignificant. He loves places and people that he can use to make his name great. He’s not worried about the odds because his power works against all odds.

God works miracles against all odds.

As I sought healing for my marriage the odds were stacked against me. Not only did our situation seem irreparable…my husband had no desire to even try. How do you fix a marriage when only one person wants it fixed? It seemed impossible…but the Lord was with us. I watch Him work miracle after miracle in our hearts. He healed our marriage against all odds…and now, all the glory is His.

God gets the glory when He moves against all odds.

This is why the Lord loves to work in insignificant, barren, and impossible situations. If my husband wanted to repair our marriage, if we were able to work at it together, I could have given our hard work the glory. But because our situation was impossible…God gets all the glory.

God wants to get the glory out of your impossible situation.

The Holy Spirit encouraged me with this message, and I am here to encourage you. It doesn’t matter if your situation is barren. It doesn’t matter if you are insignificant. It doesn’t matter if all odds are against you, because your God wants to do something against all odds. He wants to restore your situation. He wants to heal your life. He wants to enable you to do the impossible, so that His name can be magnified through your life. Will you let Him? Will you choose to believe?

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank you for choosing me. Thank you for your desire to use my barren, insignificant, and impossible situation. Today, I have been reminded that circumstances like mine are the perfect place for you to display your glory. So Father, I ask that you do your will through me. I am making a choice to believe what you have spoken over me. I choose to believe that your word is true, despite the facts, despite the feasibility, despite all odds…because the odds mean nothing to you Father. You are great, and bigger than anything that I face. And I believe that with you by my side, all things are possible. I love you. In Jesus’ name, amen.