One Plus God
Jonathan said to his young armor-bearer, “Come, let’s go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised men. Perhaps the LORD will act in our behalf. Nothing can hinder the LORD from saving, whether by many or by few.” (1 Samuel 14:6)
Near the end of the cinematic version of “Prince Caspian,” there is a powerful scene in which Lucy, the tiny child with enormous faith, faces the ferocious Telmarine army alone on a bridge, standing defiantly between them and escape with nothing but a dagger in her hand. She looks helpless, even silly. But then the camera pans away from the scene of this solitary kid soldier as Aslan, the mighty Lion, strides up beside her. You quickly realize that Lucy is not bold because of faith in herself but because of the unstoppable force beside her, a divine Lion who controls the rivers, the trees, and the wild animals. This scene vividly conveys the beauty of the famous quote, “One with God is a majority.”
The Israelite nation was hopelessly out-gunned and out-manned by the Philistines. But Jonathan was a man of faith and, therefore, a man of action. He refused to wait around while the pagan army thrashed his country into submission.
He and his armor bearer were alone. His armor bearer didn’t even have a weapon. They were facing a well-defended Philistine outpost, strategically placed on the heights overlooking two cliffs, one named Bozez (“thorny”), the other, Seneh (“slippery”).
Terrible odds, almost certain injury, defeat, even death. But Jonathan knew that one person with God is always a majority. And his faith paid off. He and his armor-bearer killed 20 men in that initial confrontation, setting off a chain of events that resulted in a slaughter of the Philistine army.
When God is involved in a battle, the number of soldiers who fight for Him isn’t a determining factor for victory, regardless how many shock troops the enemy has assembled. Whether there are thousands of believers standing with Him or only one, the result will be the same: total defeat of the enemy.
What are you battling? Depression? Anxiety? Persecution for your faith at work or home? Malicious gossip? Shame over sexual sin? The enemy might seem ubiquitous and unbeatable. But one—that’s you—plus God—your resurrected Savior Jesus—is always a majority. He WILL NOT let you be destroyed but will give you strength and peace right now and total victory in heaven.
Prayer: Lord, my enemies often surround me; I am tempted to lose hope. Please help me stand and fight bravely because no matter how outnumbered I am, my God is greater! Amen.
This devotion was selected from the upcoming book
“People’s Bible Devotion Series: 1 & 2 Samuel”
which was written by ALS professor, Dr. Matthew Doebler.
