That the Lord of the universe, who spoke everything into existence, would turn to me to hear my cry and reach way down into the mire of this world to pick me up and set my feet on the solid ground of His only son Jesus Christ is nothing short of miraculous!
Beyond salvation we have all seen the miraculous even more from God. We have seen addictions and fear cast out of us as the disciples saw demons cast out by God in their time with Jesus. We have seen or directly experienced miraculous healings not unlike what the disciples bore witness to every day they walked with the Lord. We have seen miraculous provision from nowhere as if 5,000 people were fed with a schoolboy's lunch. But then that new mountain arises before us. That new miracle is needed. Suddenly everything we have witnessed is gone. Everything we experienced is forgotten. Everything we know becomes unsure. God says to step out into a new ministry and we ask Him incredulously - "Where can I get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?" He asks us to believe Him in faith for a healing we desperately need and we disapprovingly answer - "Where can I get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?" He asks us to trust Him as our provider and we doubtingly answer - "Where can I get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?" We forget who He is, what He has done, and what He can still do in our lives:
Then this message came to Jeremiah from the L ord : "I am the L ord , the God of all the peoples of the world. Is anything too hard for me? Jeremiah 32: 26-27 (NLT)
When it seems as if things we are facing are just too big is there anything too hard for the Lord? When it seems as if the wicked are prospering or people are gaining dishonestly is there anyone smarter than the Lord? When we are facing our own sinful state and it overwhelms us is there anyone more loving and forgiving than the Lord? But when the Lord speaks to us in our here and now, we must remember what He has already done. Some refer to the Christian faith as blind because we serve a God we cannot see. I say we possess a well-informed faith based upon everything we have seen. I do not need to physically see God to know that He is there. I do not need to audibly hear God in order to know He is speaking to me. Let's consider Gideon for a minute.
Judges chapter seven tells the story of Gideon's army, which were about to fight the Midianites. But Gideon had too many men:
The L ord said to Gideon, "You have too many warriors with you. If I let all of you fight the Midianites, the Israelites will boast to me that they saved themselves by their own strength. Therefore, tell the people, 'Whoever is timid or afraid may leave this mountain and go home.'" So 22,000 of them went home, leaving only 10,000 who were willing to fight. Judges 7: 2-3 (NLT)
Keep in mind that the Midianite army is estimated to be about 135,000 strong! THAT is how powerful our pride is. God saw that even 32,000 against 135,000 would still result in the Israelites thinking they had something to do with the victory! So now at 10,000 versus 135,000 God is still aware of how prideful we are:
But the L ord told Gideon, "There are still too many! Bring them down to the spring, and I will test them to determine who will go with you and who will not." When Gideon took his warriors down to the water, the L ord told him, "Divide the men into two groups. In one group put all those who cup water in their hands and lap it up with their tongues like dogs. In the other group put all those who kneel down and drink with their mouths in the stream." Only 300 of the men drank from their hands. All the others got down on their knees and drank with their mouths in the stream. Judges 7: 4-6 (NLT)
Now the odds are where God likes them - 135,000 versus 300. But consider Gideon for a moment. He did not blink when God asks him to do what is seemingly impossible in the natural world. Defeat an army of 135,000 soldiers with only 300 men? It is not like Gideon is introduced to us as this brave and noble character:
