I remember an event that happened to me while coaching a basketball team some time ago. My team consisted of six guys (yes, that’s right, there are five that play in the game), and all under six-feet tall. Needless to say, not many people gave us a chance in too many games. However, each guy on that team was totally committed to improving, and each paid full attention to my instructions. As a result, we found ourselves at the end of the year with a chance to play in the post-season playoffs. We were the lowest team in the playoffs, but miraculously we beat another team to make it to the final four teams! That was the good news. The bad news was that we would face the top team in our state!
I remember driving our guys to the opposing team’s gym, and thinking about how badly we were going to get beat! When their players came out of the locker room, the first five players dunked the ball with authority! My six, short players just stood there with their jaws on the court! I tried to pretend it was nothing, but my jaw was on the court too. I remember thinking to myself, “This is not a fair fight!” I read through the account today of the Israelites getting out of Egypt. This same thought ran through my mind today as I saw Pharaoh getting slapped around by our God!
Pharaoh thought he was the most powerful man on the earth … and quite possibly he was at that time. However, when you read through Exodus 7-12, you will find that he was no competition agsinst the strength of God. Think about the weapons God used to free Israel from their 400+ years of bondage. Water … frogs … lice … flies … animals dying … boils … hail … locusts … darkness … death of firstborn humans and animals. God did not need anything with electricity, or gasoline, or black powder. God simply used the most common things on the earth to defeat the most powerful man/nation of the time.
I thought about Jonathan’s (Saul’s son) words to his armor-bearer … “And Jonathan said to the young man that bare his armour, Come, and let us go over unto the garrison of these uncircumcised: it may be that the LORD will work for us: for there is no restraint to the LORD to save by many or by few” (I Samuel 14:6). It is a good thing for us to remember today. God is not restricted to using the most powerful or the most gifted person today. He can work through anyone or anything He puts His hand upon today. Why not begin this day by asking God to put His hand on your life? Why not yield your heart fully to Him to use you in any way He desires? You will be amazed at what God can do with ordinary things! Trust Him today.