God can do incredible things through just one believer. When you trust God to do the impossible, everyone around you can see God’s hand in your life.
Hi, I’m Joni and have you ever heard about Shamgar in the Bible?
Well, I read about him this morning – Shamgar – oh, you know him, right? Okay, so maybe you don’t remember him. It wouldn’t surprise me; there are only – what? – two verses about Shamgar in the Bible. He was one of the judges in Israel, and all that Scripture says about him is that he struck down 600 Philistines with an ox goad – not a sword, not a spear, not a flamethrower, but the jawbone of an ox – basically, a big stick. The man beat down 600 soldiers with a big stick. Now, I don’t know what he prayed before he took on his challenge, but Shamgar certainly could have said, “Lord, there are 600 Philistines out there, could you please take away about half of them? Or even a hundred of them?” No, Shamgar accepted the situation as it was: one guy versus 600 soldiers, one guy with only a jawbone and the God of Israel on his side. He didn’t pray for the Philistines to disappear; no, Shamgar fought his way through all those men and earned himself 21 words in the Bible: Judges 3:31 simply says that he defeated 600 soldiers singlehandedly and thus, saved the people of God.
Now, friend, that is trusting in the strength of the Lord; that is believing that God is strong enough to meet any need. Shamgar could have written Psalm 20:7 where it says, “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.” Well, yeah! And although Proverbs was yet to be written, this guy could have easily penned Proverbs 18 where it says that the name of the Lord is a strong tower! Trust in him and you can do anything. Trust in him and you can defeat your enemies. Trust in him with what you have and he will work miracles. Trust in him and your actions will have a lasting impact on the people of God around you. That’s the story of Shamgar.
And it’s why, for me, that one short little verse in the book of Judges is, itself, a great lesson in God’s ability to do incredible – almost unbelievable things – through one believer. That’s all, just one. And when one person trusts in God to do the impossible, well, everybody around him knows, everyone can see that God is in on it. And friend, this is why the Lord delights in doing great things through you, one person. It’s so his power can show up through your inabilities. His strength is made more glorious through your limitations. God looks all the more divine when he accomplishes something through the disadvantaged. It happened to Shamgar. And it also happened to Gideon, whose little army of 300 absolutely decimated the nation of the Midianites. God delights in picking out unlikely people – unskilled, ill-equipped, untrained – and then using them so that when the job gets accomplished, there’s no doubt in anyone’s mind that God is the one who gets the credit and the accolades and the glory.
Today, you may not feel like you’re equipped to do much. You’re a Shamgar with no resources to speak of. Well, think of Philippians 4 and say, “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” It’s what I say to the Lord every morning when I get up in my wheelchair, “Jesus, I can’t do this quadriplegia – really, I can’t, I am so weak – but I can do quadriplegia through you as you give me strength.” And it is unbelievable what he does. Hey, look, if you enjoyed this little lesson about Shamgar, you can dig out the same meaning for any number of different Bible passages!
Oh, and one more thing – I want to send you a copy of our Joni and Friends newsletter. So just go to joniradio.org. The newsletter is filled with opportunities for you to serve people with disabilities in the name of Jesus!
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