"Outnumbered"

"And he increased his people greatly; and made them stronger than their enemies." (Psalms 105:24)
Without question, this verse brings the power of God into perspective; not just that He is able to bless and multiply His people, but that He is able to strengthen them by giving them a hope in Him. It is a lot like the church, when the church is pressed down by this world, that is when it flourishes and becomes stronger. We really don't know what faith we have until that faith is tested. The world would like to think that we are weak and foolish because we rely upon God for guidance and protection; but little do they know, God is not only the source of our strength, but He is also the Giver of life, even their own. When it comes to who is stronger, a nonbeliever or a believer, there is really no question; the believer will always turn out to be the strongest, even to the very death. I think of Stephen, the first follower of Christ to be killed for his faith; he was stronger than any of those who were killing him, stronger because of the faith he had in the Lord. Oh, they might have overpowered him in the physical sense; and might have even felt as though they turned out to be the greater; but in the spiritual sense, they were the weaker and least to have success. They might have thought they were stopping a movement; nothing could have been further from the truth! I cannot describe the difference I feel towards things that appear overwhelming, life issues, and such; how those issues appear to be able to crush me and overtake my hope, any time I take my eyes off the Lord. There is simply no comparison to the power and the weakness; yet, what separates those two, is simply where we have placed our faith. Do you feel overwhelmed and outnumbered? If your focus is upon your circumstance or your situation, then you probably should. But if you focus upon the Lord and His promises, then what a difference that direction will make upon your life. The cares and worries of this world will surely grow strangely dim! In more ways than one, they were already stronger than their enemies, except now, they also outnumbered them...
"Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God. It was by faith that even Sarah was able to have a child, though she was barren and was too old. She believed that God would keep his promise. And so a whole nation came from this one man who was as good as dead -a nation with so many people that, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore, there is no way to count them. All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth. Obviously people who say such things are looking forward to a country they can call their own. If they had longed for the country they came from, they could have gone back. But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them." (Hebrews 11:10-16) NLT