“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” — Ephesians 3:20-21

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Many baseball players are well over six feet tall and weigh more than 220 pounds with bulging muscles. Some look like strong lumberjacks as they walk out on the field with legs like trees and arms like branches. But tall and stalky players aren’t the only successful ones.

In fact, Jose Altuve may seem unassuming in stature, but he is one of the greatest players not only on the the Houston Astros, but in the world. When Altuve won the American League MVP award in 2017, he was the shortest player to win the award since Phil Rizzuto in 1950. Altuve stands 5-foot-6 and weighs 165 pounds, and is very productive and durable.

He has a career batting average of .306 even though he plays in the valley of the giants. Last year he hit 20 home runs, which is more than many of the big guys. He also hit 31 doubles and had 65 RBIs. He’s been on the All-Star team nine times and won a Gold Glove for defensive excellence in 2015. He’s helped his team win the World Series twice and is still an active player.

In the Bible, we see several unassuming people who did great work beyond their abilities because a huge God worked through them. When God called Gideon to lead the Israelite army, he was hiding from the mighty Midianites. Gideon didn’t think he could do anything special, but he hadn’t seen God work yet. “The angel of the Lord came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites” (Judges 6:11).

As God and Gideon talked, Gideon listed several reasons why he was unworthy to be a warrior. “‘Pardon me, my lord,’ Gideon replied, ‘but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family'” (Judges 6:15). Gideon was looking at his own limited abilities, but God knew He would be able to do wonders through him. “The Lord answered, ‘I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive'” (Judges 6:16).

Gideon still wasn’t certain, so he asked the Lord to do some miracles as demonstrations to reassure him. The Lord patiently did so and soon Gideon did more than he thought ever he would. Surprisingly, God whittled Gideon’s army down to only 300 men. That meant his army would be outnumbered 450-to-1 when they faced the Midianites, but God gave Gideon and his men a great victory.

We should keep our focus on our infinite God rather than on our little selves or our small numbers. Then we can go forward with confidence in every challenge.

— Bill Kent, Pastor of Memorial Baptist Church, Sylvania, Georgia

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