YOU DON'T STAND A CHANCE     by Carl McMurray

 

When a young man ran across a narrow valley in southern Israel 3,000 years ago into the curses of a pagan, armored, giant of a warrior, he stood no logical chance of finishing that day with his head remaining on his shoulders. It would probably be presumptuous to say he didn’t care. It might be more correct to say that he wasn’t considering that as a possibility. His parting words before starting that run were that “the Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the bear will also deliver me from the hand of this uncircumcised Philistine.” To his mind, he stood no chance.... of failure!

 

A little earlier, another young man had climbed a mountain to take on a squad of trained enemy soldiers who had the high ground without even the element of surprise on his side. He called up and announced himself to the enemy. He and his armor bearer, two against twenty, plainly they stood no chance. But again, what might seem plain to us was not even on his mind. What were his thoughts? “the Lord is not constrained to save by many or by few.” He was thinking as he climbed toward the fight that he had no chance... of failure!

 

When three young Israelites were arrested and brought before a heathen Babylonian King during a dedication celebration it was a serious situation for them. They were accused of a capital crime and immediately given a choice; fall down and worship the King’s Idol or be put to death in a furnace. For men of conviction, who could not worship a false god, there was no chance of observing the Passover on this barbeque. But once more, listen to their words, “0 King, we don’t need to give you an answer about this. Our God can deliver us from the fiery furnace. But even if he does not, know this, that we will not bow down and worship   Again, the same image comes forth. They KNEW they had no chance that day... of failure.

 

Whether it was facing 185,000 trained warriors with an unarmed band of 300, being lowered into a den of lions, rebuking Kings with the power of life and death in their hands, facing squads of enemy soldiers with only the jawbone of a donkey in hand, going hand to hand with giants, or rebuilding city walls under constant threat of attack and betrayal from enemies outside and within their own ranks God’s people never seemed to stand a chance, yet in all these and a hundred more impossible situations, with faith and the power of God they succeeded, and more, they excelled.

 

What does this mean to us? Let me tell you, you don’t stand a chance. You don’t stand a chance against the trials of life that wear you out and the temptations of the Devil that wear you down and attack you from behind. You don’t stand a chance against past sins that haunt you and present problems that discourage you and future difficulties that scare you. You don’t stand a chance to grow and mature and know more and do more. You don’t stand a chance at winning others, or even saving those you love, or even saving yourself when you get down to it. And yet, “If God be for us, who can be against us?” The truth is, and always has been, that when men and women choose to walk with the Lord of Lords and King of Kings, they have never, and still don’t today stand even the ghost of a chance.... of failure!