Defies the odds

"Samson glanced around and spotted the jawbone of a donkey. The jawbone had not yet dried out, so it was still hard and heavy. Samson grabbed it and started hitting Philistines--he killed 1,000 of them!" Judges 15:15 CEV

ABC Action News out of Fresno, California posted this headline yesterday, "Visalia teen with rare illness defying all odds by running NYC half marathon." And if defying all odds means accomplishing something that appears to be completely impossible, Ciera Sesock, 13, did that very thing. You see, this eighth-grader at Ridgeview Middle School in Visalia, who was diagnosed last July with allergic Broncho-Pulmonary Apergillosis, which clogs her lungs with fungus and mold, finished the 13.1 mile race in two hours and 36-minutes going against what everyone believed to be possible. 

And when it comes to defying the odds, the Bible is full of stories of men and women who, by God's mighty power, did things that seemed totally impossible too. Consider the story of Samson who single-handedly killed 1,000 Philistines with the jawbone of a donkey. I mean what are the odds of that? And what are the odds of glancing around and spotting the jawbone of a donkey in the middle of nowhere anyway? One that had not yet dried out and was still hard and heavy? The odds were slim-to-none of course. But God has been defying the odds since the beginning of time, constantly making a way where there seems to be no way. 

So if you're in a situation, or facing a problem today that seems impossible to get out of, consider the words of Mark Batterson, "Impossible odds set the stage for amazing miracles." And remember that God is still in the business of performing miracles... especially in the face of insurmountable odds. 

Heavenly Father, thank you for the many examples in the Bible of people who, by your strength, overcame impossible odds to find victory. Help us to believe that You - the God who was the same yesterday, today and forever - are still performing miracles and equipping believers to defy even the slimmest of odds today. It's in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen. 

Happy Running!!!

Miracles - Hawk Nelson

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNNbulojWcw