A friend of mine recently shared a story of a seemingly impossible situation that God has begun working out. It reminded me of the times in my own life when God has come through and done the impossible. It confirms for me something I’ve thought for awhile: God likes to show off. I think that God enjoys taking a situation that looks completely hopeless and doing that which we prayed would happen but didn’t see how it was possible. I think God likes to show us how incredible and powerful He is and remind us to trust Him. God wants us to trust him whether he answers our prayers the way we would like or not.
“Showing off” may conjure up images of egotistical young men doing stupid things in order to impress someone. But showing off can be good or bad, depending largely on our motivation. Doing stupid things out of insecurity is not healthy and will never resolve our insecurity. This is not the type of showing off that God does. When we emphasize our strengths and talents through a difficult situation, it can be a healthy expression of showing off. It’s something we all do, whether it is at work, at home, on the stage, or at the gym. When our motivation is excellence, not insecurity, then showing off can strengthen our image and makes the other person more confident in our abilities. But sometimes we need that reminder from God that our abilities are not always enough, and we need to rely on Him.
Look at the story of Gideon (Judges 7). God told Gideon to go to battle against the Midianites, even though Gideon's army was less than 1/10th the size of the Midianites. But even with these odds, God told Gideon his army was too big. He reveals his reason in Judges 7:2. God knew that, if he let Israel defeat the Midianites, they would think it was because of their own strength and ability. So God whittled Gideon's army from 32,000 to 300 people and sent them to battle against an army of 135,000. It's clear to me that God was showing off. He wanted Israel to know beyond a doubt that He was the one who defeated the Midianites, and they could trust Him.
It is one thing to know in your head that all things are possible with God, but it’s quite another to experience it. As stressful as it may be in those difficult situations, I am thankful that the God of the impossible shows off in my life and reminds me to trust Him.
Chad Hess
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