February 18, 2021
Facing the Odds
Melissa Spoelstra
Today’s Truth
“And blessed be God Most High, who has defeated your enemies for you.” (Genesis 14:20a, NLT).
Friend to Friend
My daughter’s friend faced some pretty significant health challenges in high school. It got so bad at one point that she couldn’t raise her hands above her head to even wash her hair. She thought she would never be able to go away to college and take care of herself with the amount of pain she battled on a daily basis.
Through these debilitating setbacks, she set her attention on the Lord. She focused on what she could do more than what she couldn’t. Though she felt her setbacks outnumbered her abilities at times, she felt more determined than ever to be able to attend nursing school.
This gal is now my daughter’s roommate in college. She still battles pain daily, but she completed her sophomore year and presses on against the odds to see her dream of becoming a nurse fulfilled.
I know people who got out of debt when it seemed insurmountable. I’ve had friends who weren’t sure they could forgive an infidelity in their marriage and came out with a stronger relationship after years of hard work. Whether our challenges are physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual, many of us have felt like the odds were stacked against us until we encountered the supernatural help of God.
While every challenge doesn’t usually end up with a storybook ending, we can believe by faith that our God is the most powerful force in the universe. One of God’s names is El Elyon – God Most High. Elyon literally means, “supreme God.”
Abram was a man in the Bible who discovered that his nephew’s family had been captured by enemies. (Genesis 14) He found the courage to go to war for the safety of his nephew and was delivered because He knew His Deliverer. Abram got involved but recognized God Most High’s role in helping Him as the Lord revealed His name to him as El Elyon for the first time in Scripture!
Like Abram, we can fall underneath under God’s authority and fight against the odds when He is on our side. We can do things His way and trust His instructions and boundaries.
Or
We can try to figure things out in our own way. We can trust our logic and intellect. We can succumb to worry and fear.
When it comes down to it, we can trust in our supreme God or we can try to navigate our lives on our own. You may not be fighting on a physical battlefield but I wonder if any of you are feeling like your problems outnumber your blessings sometimes. Fear, bad habits, a difficult relationship, financial hardship, and so many other issues can feel like real enemies. Other times, our enemies seem to be human. Our bosses, in-laws, or ex-friends may seem to have more money, position, power, etc. No matter how high they seem to be sitting, El Elyon is higher.
The odds don’t tell the final story. Like my daughter’s college roommate, we can focus on the size of our God more than the size of our situations. El Elyon is the Deliverer, and we can be delivered because we know Him!
Let’s Pray
El Elyon, you are the Most High God. You are Supreme over all creation. You know the battles I’m facing right now. Give me your eyes to see them. Help me to trust you to get me through. I find myself often trying to figure out the odds in my situations. Instead help me to focus on your mighty power and rest in You alone.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Now It’s Your Turn
Can you think of a time when you were able to accomplish something when the odds were not in your favor?
Where are you facing odds that seem insurmountable?
How can seeing the Lord as El Elyon – God Most High – change your perspective in this situation today?
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© 2021 by Melissa Spoelstra. All rights reserved.
