Judges 6:16

New International Version (NIV)

The Lord answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.”

For meditation

Sometimes we feel so weak that we can’t believe any assurances from God’s word. In our hearts, we know He is faithful to His promises, but our circumstances convince us otherwise. Our problems are too many and insurmountable. Reality has set in, for God did not show up in time.

But wait! The clock says three minutes of injury time.

Remember Manchester United in that two quick goals in the three-minute injury time that gave them victory over Bayern Munich in the 1999 UEFA Championships in Barcelona? What gave them the confidence that stunned the soccer world?

The jury is still out on that point, but we Christians can boldly declare that our confidence is in the Lord, our God. He decides the end of everything. It is always over for us once He pulls the curtain over any situation.

At ages eighty-nine and ninety-nine, Sarah and Abraham thought the game was over. Praise God, for His word never fails. A year later, the two became parents to Isaac (Gen. 21:2). Old age could not restrain God from blessing the couple with a child.

Israel is trapped at the shores of the Red Sea. Two mountains on both sides and a wounded Pharaoh with his best chariots in hot pursuit from behind — it is over for Israel. But God!

Moses stretches his hand over the sea, and it stands like brick walls on both sides. Israel walks through to safety, but Pharaoh and his elite forces drown (Ex. 14:10-31). Nothing is impossible for the Lord.

Jericho’s wall stands fortified and shut against the rag-tag army of Israel. They don’t know what to do. The Commander of the Army of the LORD rolls out His battle formation. They march around the city once in six days and seven times on the seventh day. The priests blow their trumpets. The army shouts, and the vast Jericho wall falls flat. Israel takes the city, and fear grips Canaan (Joshua 6:2-5, 20). That’s the power of Jehovah. 

A giant from the Philistine intimidates Israel for days. King Saul and his army shudder in fear. A young boy steps to the plate with his shepherd staff, a sling, and five smooth pebbles for weaponry. He moves in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel (1 Sam. 17:45). One slingshot, and the Holy Spirit directs the pebble to the forehead of Goliath. He falls face down on the ground—dead! No giant can stand against you with the Lord Almighty on your side.

Lazarus is dead, and his sisters are distraught. “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died” (John 11:21, 32). Jesus goes to the grave, commands them to roll the stone from the tomb, and calls out the man dead for four days. Lazarus walks out alive to the amazement of everyone (41-44). No dead situation can prevail against Jesus’s resurrection power.

So, tell me. Why are you terrified today? What has overwhelmed you this week and cast a gloom over your weekend?

One thing I know and live by is the truth that Jesus has overcome the world for our sake (John 16:33). Because He lives, we can face tomorrow courageously and in His strength (Ephesians 6:10). You are more than a conqueror through Christ Jesus (Romans 8:37).

So, wait for the Lord, believe, and you will see the glory of the Lord. 

Shalom

Prayer

Almighty God, teach us to trust your faithful promises and the assurance that nothing in our lives is beyond your redemptive, healing, and restorative power. Thank you for your peace that surpasses understanding, which you give to guard our hearts and minds in Christ. Amen.