Trust In Numbers or God?

So I read one of my daily devotions today, Proverbs 31 Ministries, and I couldn't help but post it here.    Numbers can refer to the number of letters MOWA is willing to write per day.  It can reference our finances ~ whether adopting or not.  It can reference the number of days or months we have been WAITING for our children.  Either way.......this spoke to me and reminded me that God is BIGGER than ANY numbers!

Trust In Numbers - Marybeth Whalen

“Some trust in chariots and some in horses but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.”
Psalm 20:7 (NIV)

Recently my husband and I were discussing our ongoing efforts to build up our emergency fund. A series of setbacks that included car repairs, replacing an HVAC system and my husband’s six month unemployment had left little in our emergency savings. It seemed every time we got a little bit of money in, it went right back out. I voiced my frustration to my husband. “If we could just get a certain amount in there,” I said, “We wouldn’t have to worry anymore.”

The idea of not worrying appealed to me. I wanted something to stay the same. I wanted to be confident and stable. This all sounded like a good idea.

But that’s not what was happening. So what was God trying to teach me?

A few days later I was reading the story of Gideon, the man God called a mighty warrior even as he was hiding out, scared of his enemies. In Judges 7 God finally convinces Gideon to assemble an army of Israelites to face their enemy. I am sure Gideon was pleased and surprised when 32,000 men responded to his battle cry. I imagine the strength of their numbers was a comfort to this less than confident soldier.

And then God told him to cut the army down in size. Then cut it again. God cut the army’s numbers from 32,000 down to just 300. Contrast that with Judges 7:12, where the enemy troops are described as “thick as locusts.” I can only imagine what Gideon was feeling. He had to think that more was better, that surely having a large army to count on was a good idea.

As I read this passage I thought of another time a soldier wanted to know the numbers he was dealing with. First Chronicles 21:1 tells us that King David was enticed by Satan to count his men. He knew that if he could get David’s focus on the numbers instead of on God, he’d gain access to David’s thoughts and trust.

These two biblical examples were a good wakeup call. God was trying to teach me to stop trusting in numbers – specifically in bank account numbers. He was gently reminding me that—as good as an emergency fund is—I can really only trust in Him. I didn’t need to worry about my balance or my battlefield. I only had to believe He would supply all I need.

God calls us mighty, even as we are hiding out. God calls us powerful, even as our forces dwindle. God calls us wealthy, even as we are fretting about finances. God majors in the impossible. He can overpower terrible odds because He’s free to shine His light on our situation. Are your numbers looking grim? Let your lack invite His might.

Don’t trust in numbers that change like the tides. Trust in the unchanging God. Watch Him work against the odds. Just ask Gideon, who won a decisive victory with his 300 men. You can be victorious too, no matter what the numbers say.

Dear Lord, our numbers don’t look good right now. They seem to be stacking up against us with this whole MOWA thing going on. It feels like the Ethiopian adoption world is facing impossible odds. And yet, today I am reminded that YOU ARE STILL IN CONTROL!  No matter what the odds look like.......no matter what the numbers are......we can have HOPE in YOU and YOU ALONE!   Please fan this hope into a flame of complete trust—not in numbers, but in YOU. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.  {modified from the original prayer that accompanied this post}