The opponent faced what looked like nothing in the ring. Raising my powerful binoculars, I studied the mat carefully. No, there were indeed two opponents there. A strong boxer faced a tiny ant. Could this be a joke? A man fighting a microscopic insect?
No, I never attended a boxing match. And I certainly never heard of one between a man and an insect--at least not in real life. But the image provides a glimpse of the vastness of our God to the size of our trial-- which seems, to our human eyes, to be so very immense and difficult.
In reality, that trial is nothing in comparison to the Almighty God. Oh, to you that trial is unsurmountable. As tall as Everest. As harsh as the winds of Antarctica.
But to God—it’s no match at all! God is so much bigger than the trial you’re enduring. He’s vastly more powerful than the most hurtful words men can sling your direction. He’s far superior to the situation out of which you must daily look for the way of escape.
He, by the way, is your Escape.
Your Refuge.
Your ever-present Help in times of trouble.
He’s your High Tower, the One to Whom you can run when rejection is hurled your direction in a cascade of hurling darts.
When the news comes in and it’s cancer. Or infertility. Or some other word that sounds like a death knell to your ears.
When rejection shakes your world.
Or the devastation of a broken relationship haunts your past.
When you’re misread, misjudged, mistreated—He’s the place You can go for solace. Comfort. And complete deliverance.
This trial is no match for God.
He is your Deliverer!
Wait on Him. Only that waiting—the Isaiah 40:31 kind—will renew your strength. Spend time running to Him as your Refuge. And then run some more. Breathe prayer as you walk from place to place, as you transition from thing to thing throughout your day.
Live in Him.
That trial—it’s a season of life through which you must pass. Why? Because Acts 14:22 tells us that, as believers, it’s part of our destiny: “We must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.”
The hardest peaks to climb for me have been those of conflict in the spiritual realm, where we “wrestle not against flesh and blood but against . . . spiritual wickedness in high places.”
The enemy wants you
Confused.
Jostled.
Disabled in the fight.
Vulnerable to his attack.
He’s studied you—maybe for decades. But he’s no match for your God. Remember that.
So keep on running to the Source, the Fount of all goodness, love, joy, and peace. Hiding out in God can shift your perspective during this, your toughest trial. Your hardest hour. Your most terrifying tribulation.
And never stop seeking God, waiting upon Him.
Because, viewed through the eyes of faith, this trial is no match for your omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient—yes, omniscient God. He knows what you are dealing with. He gets you. And He truly understands.
My friend, “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD” (Psalm 27:14).
If the enemy of souls has attacked you through the harshness of another, trust God and forgive your offender by extending forgiveness to him daily in your heart. “Say not thou, I will recompense evil; but wait on the LORD, and he shall save thee” (Proverbs 20:22).
If you have been entrusted with a trial of physical pain or debilitating sickness, believe in the Providence of your God, the Wise Architect of the building of your life.
If the dreams you cherished lie shattered at your feet, believe that God’s plan is better.
Because, even if you can’t see the way through the blurred vision of your tears, somehow it is. Romans 8:28 is still true. You can trust the unfailing word of your forever God!
Because that trial—it’s no match for God!
For more on trusting God in your trials, Check out my Tethered to Truth Podcast series on Psalm 77!
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