A One Percent Chance

J

oe didn't believe in taking risks.  He had always prided himself on making his own way, being self-reliant and taking charge of his life.  However, in the past few weeks, his stock portfolio had completely bottomed out.  Stocks and bonds he believed would never fail, suddenly had; mutual funds he was certain of lost a great portion of their value; and the monies he had invested in very stable companies were not giving spectacular returns.  He just couldn't understand what had happened.  He found himself facing a mountain of debt and certain financial ruin.  The future looked bleak and he could see no way out of this situation.

His holdings had dwindled from $32,000 to a mere $300. With such a small amount of money, there was simply no way he could ever hope to overcome his financial dilemma.  He didn't know where to turn and he had no idea what he would do.  The only certainty was that an army of creditors was about to invade his life, taking everything he had worked hard for, and leaving him with nothing.

 He kept looking at the financial statement indicating his net worth.  He was worth only a mere 1% of what he had been just a few weeks ago. How could he rebuild his life on a mere 1%?  He wondered if anyone had ever been able to accomplish such a feat.

The answer to Joe's question is yes and it comes straight from the book of Judges.  In Judges 7:7, God is talking with Gideon about the approaching battle with the Midianites: “By the three hundred men who lapped I will save you, and deliver the Midianites into your hand. Let all the other people go, every man to his place.” 

Israel started with 32,000 men in its army.  Gideon must have felt very secure with such a large number of forces at his disposal.  However, God had other plans and another idea about how this battle would be won. 

God continued to whittle down the army's number until there remained only 300 men, a mere 1% of the original number.  To Gideon, this seemingly spelled certain defeat, but for God this small percentage was a dominant force.  God's reason for choosing only 300 men was to prevent Israel from claiming they had won the victory on their own.  When the dust settled, there would be no explanation other than that God had saved Israel and defeated her enemy.

This is the position God wants us to take today.  In life, the odds are stacked against us.  It may seem the enemy’s forces are overwhelming and that we don't have adequate means to go into battle.  This is just where God wants us to be.  He wants to fight our battles for us.  He wants there to be no doubt that He loves us and that He is our God.  So, He reduces our resources to a mere 1%, totally inadequate for us to act on our own.  That is just when He steps in and routs our enemies before us.  You see, no matter how frail we are, no matter how low our reserves, and no matter how poorly stocked we are, God is always operating at 100% and that 100% is always at our disposal.

S

o, whatever your circumstances are today know that our God is on your side.  He has not left you; He has not abandoned you in your moment of need.  Instead, He is beside you and all around you with His sword drawn, ready to do battle on your behalf.  A one per cent chance is always a one hundred per cent return in God's economy when He is in charge!