What Truths Can We Cling To When We Face Insurmountable Situations?

Have you ever faced a situation that seemed impossible and you felt like it would overtake and consume you? Maybe you are currently standing face to face with one of these situations. You are not alone. The Bible is filled with stories of God's people facing the seemingly invincible and impossible. But do you know what else the Bible is filled with? God's promises, power, and demonstrated love for His people.

As I was studying one of these stories recently, I was encouraged by the truths I uncovered and wanted to share that with you today.

Let me first set the scene. The Israelites were overtaken and oppressed by the Midianites, who cruelly ruled Israel for seven years. Whenever the Israelites planted crops, the Midianites would devour the produce and leave nothing for the Israelites to eat. They would take all of their sheep, goats, cattle, and donkeys. Finally, the Israelites cried out to the Lord for help and the Lord chose to deliver Israel with a man named Gideon, who described himself as the least in his entire family and from the weakest tribe in Israel. Well, we know that doesn't matter to our God! We read throughout the Bible of Him using the weakest, the smallest, and the unexpected in accomplishing His plan.

Before we move on, I want to stress that the Lord used Gideon and only 300 men to deliver the Israelites from the Midianites as He promised.

Back to the story... the day of the great battle had arrived. Gideon was still afraid even though the Lord had promised to give the Midianites into his hands, so the Lord told Gideon to go down to the Midianites' camp and listen to what the men were saying about his army.

As Gideon approached the Midianite camp, this is what he saw:

Judges 7:12

"And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the people of the East lay along the valley like locusts in abundance, and their camels were without number, as the sand that is on the seashore in abundance."

Out of all the things that could have jumped off the page as I was reading this, the word sand did. We don't know exactly what went through Gideon's mind as he beheld his enemies and their supplies, but the writer of the book of Judges used the word sand to describe the vastness and abundance of the army Gideon and his 300 men would face.

Did you know the word sand is primarily used in the Bible to depict abundance?

Together, let's take a look at the word sand and how it is used in the Old Testament and discover what truths we can cling to when we face situations that feel insurmountable.

Genesis 22:17 (also 32:12)

"I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.”

This is the first time the word sand is used in the Bible. God promised to make Abraham's descendants as numerous as the sand on the seashore, and God did. Not only did Abraham's actual offspring grow to be numerous, but through Abraham's descendants Jesus was born and because of him, men and women from all over the world are still being added to Abraham's family through faith in Jesus.

Truth: God keeps His promises and His word can be trusted.

Genesis 41:49, 56-57

"And Joseph stored up grain in great abundance, like the sand of the sea, until he ceased to measure it, for it could not be measured. So when the famine had spread over all the land, Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe in the land of Egypt. Moreover, all the earth came to Egypt to Joseph to buy grain, because the famine was severe over all the earth."

If you haven't read the story of Joseph it's worth a read! Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery in Egypt, but every step of the way God caused Joseph to excel until Joseph was promoted to second in command next to Pharoah. Why is this significant? God gave Joseph the ability to interpret Pharoah's dream about a forthcoming famine, and Joseph was able to plan for the future. Not only did Egypt have enough grain, but all the surrounding nations were able to come and buy grain from Egypt.

Truth: In Joseph's words, "As for you (his brothers), you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today." God is not bound by scary circumstances. He can transform a very frightening, seemingly hopeless situation into something good for us and others.

Psalm 78:27

"he rained meat on them like dust, winged birds like the sand of the seas;"

This Psalm refers to God's provision for the Israelites when they were traveling through the desert on their way to the promised land. Originally, God provided mana 6 days a week for the Israelites, but they soon grew tired of it and complained. They wanted meat. God didn't have to provide meat, but He did and He did in abundance.

Truth: God is abundantly gracious. He often gives us what we don't deserve.

Psalm 139:18

"How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me!"

• Precious: The Hebrew word yaqar meaning valuable, hard to understand

• Thoughts: The Hebrew word rea meaning purpose, will

David states something very significant about God's thoughts, they are both valuable and hard to understand. Even though David didn't understand all of God's thoughts about him, he described the good ways God had demonstrated his will and purpose for him in this psalm. In other words, what David did understand about God and His character, helped him trust when he didn't understand.

Truth: Like He did with David, God thinks about us on purpose, and for purpose. So much so, that we can't count how often or how much! In every situation, we can trust that God in His infinite wisdom is at work for our good even if we don't understand.

Jeremiah 5:22

"Do you not fear me? declares the LORD. Do you not tremble before me? I placed the sand as the boundary for the sea, a perpetual barrier that it cannot pass; though the waves toss, they cannot prevail; though they roar, they cannot pass over it."

This verse declares the powerful sovereignty of God. Think of the force of a single, swelling wave. Think of the vulnerability of a ship at sea. The ocean can be a formidable thing, yet God is more powerful than all the oceans in the world combined. He divided land from the sea. He used sand to mark the sea's limits.

Truth: No matter the strength and capability of the foe we face, our God is more powerful. Foes can come in all shapes and sizes: emotional, mental, or sexual abuse, financial difficulty, disease, a tumultuous relationship, etc., but because our God is more powerful and has promised to always be with us, we can look past our foe and behold with awe the greatness of our God. We can fix our eyes on Him and He will guard our hearts and minds with peace.

As I was studying these truths my heart was so encouraged! When we face a situation that threatens to consume us, "like locusts in abundance, and camels without number, as the sand that is on the seashore", we can remember the verses about sand that point us to God-

that direct our minds & hearts to the One who keeps His promises, provides beyond measure, holds us in His thoughts, and can do mighty things with very little.

I pray your heart is encouraged too!

Sincerely,

Amy