Live Free with Josh Howerton - God Specializes in the Impossible | Ep. 431 | Monday, September 30, 2024

Episode Date: September 30, 2024

We all resonate with underdog stories, feeling overwhelmed by odds at times. God's power shines in facing great challenges and overcoming impossible situations, as seen through examples like Gideon. Regardless of circumstances, God showers us with unfailing love and respects our free will even amidst poor decisions. It's reassuring to know that God deeply cares for us daily, extending grace beyond any rebelliousness we may show. For more information, visit lakepointe.church/dailydrive

Thanks for tuning in to today's Daily Drive with Lake Point Church, a daily dose of God's word for your morning drive. When the word, not the world, becomes the majority of your week, your life will start to change. For that reason, our prayer is that God will speak to you through today's devotional. For more digital content to feed your faith, visit lakepoint.combe.com slash daily drive. And now let's dive in to today's devotional. Hey, happy Monday, everybody. Hope you had a great weekend. And thanks for joining us on the Daily Drive.

As we head back to work and school and interact with people throughout the week, I'm just praying this little shot of God's Word helps to keep you focused on the reality of his presence and love in your life. And maybe it'll make our light shine a little bit brighter. So thanks for hanging out with us. My name is Bro, by the way. And this week, I want to unpack a great story from the Bible about a huge underdog. We love underdogs, don't we? Whether it's that small school you never heard of,

advancing to the Sweet 16 in March Madness, or that unlikely person who blows the audience away on the voice, where America's got talent, or love those storylines of movies like Rocky and Rudy and Karate Kid and Remember the Titans, we cheer for those who have the odds stacked against them. They're just something about the underdog, that person, that team that struggles against all odds,

that's what makes a story, compelling. And I don't know, but maybe you feel like the odds are stacked against you right now. Maybe you could use some hope. Well, I want you to know that God can do anything. And the greater the odds, the greater the power that he displays. You might think things are bleak. You might think things will never get better. You might think that nothing good could ever come out of the situation you're currently in. You might feel like the odds are totally stacked against you. Well, think again. Because God specializes in impossible odds. And he wants to make your life into a compelling story as well.

I want to show you one of those compelling against all odds, kinds of stories. It's the story of a simple, ordinary guy named Gideon. Some of you may have heard of him. Again, I don't know what you're facing, what you might be going through right now, but I've been praying that his story would just flood your soul with hope this entire week. Because if your strength seems really small to you right now, and the odds seem stacked against you, I'm telling you, if you will lean in to God, he will carry you through. He is for you. He loves you with an unfailing love. Your circumstances may not radically change,

but against all odds, guess what? You will, and that's the greater miracle. Well, you can find this story in the Old Testament book of Judges, and here's the way episode one begins. Judges chapter 6. The Israelites did evil in the Lord's sight. so the Lord handed them over to the Midianites for seven years. Now this is a reoccurring theme all the way through the book of judges. Over and over it says, and once again the Israelites did evil in the Lord's sight. And as they would rebel against God, things would get awful. Then they would repent and cry out to God and God would rescue them.

Then it wouldn't be too long, and once again they wouldn't act like he ever existed. And they even had multiple affairs cheated on him with other so-called little G-gods. So even though as a father, it would break God's heart, he would say, well, if that's what you choose, and he would let them go into their self-destructive tailspin and allow them by their own free will to make horrible choices, which in turn brought horrible consequences into their nation and into their lives. You know, I look around, I talk to so many people who spend their lives playing the victim, always blaming other people or blaming God for the situation they're in.

Now, granted, sometimes life just happens. I mean, we all live in a broken, fallen world, and even the most innocent, can get caught in the fallout. But a whole lot of the times, we just kind of reap what we sow, don't we? I've talked before about how God's Word tells us there are these boomerang principles that exist, like give, and it'll be given to you. Refresh others, and you will be refreshed. Walk with the wise, and you'll become wise. Sew to the wind, and you'll reap the whirlwind. A loving God created us with the gift of free will.

Because love without a choice really wouldn't be love, right? And how you and I exercise that free will, it matters. And it brings consequences, good or bad. And the sooner we own those bad choices and take responsibility for our personal behavior that landed us in the mess, the sooner we humble ourselves and start honoring God with our lives, the sooner things start to change. So as a result of their own rebellion, their own, own bad choices, the nation of Israel was under domination by the Midianites, and for seven long

years these ruthless, evil, godless, powerful desert nomads raided the Israelites' promised land relentlessly. Their invasion was so massive and so overpowering, that God's people had literally gone underground and were living in caves and canyons and mountain strongholds just to survive. The Midianites destroyed their crops, took all their livestock, brought them. them to the brink of starvation, and they finally got so miserable, so desperate that it says this in verse 6. Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord for help. After seven years, it finally hit him. Oh yeah. What about God? Now listen, God should never be reduced to a last resort, 911 dispatcher, or one of those in case of emergency break glass kind of things. He's not some superhero

that swoops in when we send up the bat signal. He longs to be an intimate friend, a father, a daddy, someone with whom we do life with every day. However, when we do reach that point of humble desperation and we finally cry out the God, even though we might not have thought about him in like more than seven years, he's been thinking about us every day. And he hears, and he responds. He loves us so much that he even says.

sees beyond the rebellion, beyond the disobedience, the distance, the disregard. He doesn't bring up all the horrible things we might have said or thought about him. He doesn't say, are you kidding me? You? You? After all you've done, fat chance of me ever helping you. When we humbly cry out, God hears and responds. You may not immediately see what he's doing, but God goes to work in the dark. Well, through a prophet, God reminds the people of his powerfully impressive and faithful track record, and he tells the people, and he tells the people. I brought you out of slavery in Egypt. Remember the Red Sea parting, the manna from heaven, the pillar of fire, the water from a rock, crossing the Jordan on dry ground, all the

incredible conquest under Joshua, where I drove out your enemies and gave you the land that I promised to you? You guys remember all that? And do you remember that I told you not to worship all these little G gods of your enemies, that they would lead you down some really dark and destructive roads? But you didn't listen. You ignored me. And that is why you're in the shape you're in. Nevertheless, I still love you. I've never stopped. And I've heard your cries. And I'm about the move.

And move he does. We'll pick up this story tomorrow, but maybe it's been a while since you've personally cried out to God. Or maybe a friend got you on to this podcast. The whole concept of God has been like a huge question mark in your mind. And honestly, you haven't thought much about him at all. And perhaps you've thought.

well if he does exist does he care about me does he care about my situation is he really powerful i mean i mean talk about an underdog right now in my life the odds are stacked against me i was just wondering can god help me well i want to invite you to come all back every day this week and find out you might want to grab a bible or a bible app and read the whole story for yourself and then join us every day as we just unpack it a little bit hope you all have a great day today and i'll see you back tomorrow Thanks for tuning in today. For more biblical teaching and worship, join us for our church online live weekend services on Saturdays and Sundays.

For more information about all the digital ministries of Lake Point, visit lakepoint.church slash daily drive. Also, if this podcast was helpful to you, would you be sure to rate, review, and share this podcast to help get the word out.