21 Days of Prayer & Fasting: Day 19

God’s ways are not like ours. 

We cannot make everything come out in the wash. It doesn’t always work out like we planned. Sometimes God calls us into unhappy circumstances and impossible situations on purpose for His glory.

• • According to UNICEF (The United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund), there are 153 million orphans worldwide involved in the orphan crisis today.

• • Human trafficking is now the world’s fastest growing crime impacting 600,000 to 800,000 mostly female children and adults crossing international borders each year.

• • There are between 20 and 30 million slaves in the world today, available on average for the disgustingly low price of $90 per person.

• • Across the globe, 795 million people don’t have enough food to eat. One of my daughters has literally been so hungry she ate the shirt off her back.

• • According to the latest UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) report, there are 25.4 million refugees around the world today.

• • Roughly 2 billion people in the world today have never heard of Jesus Christ, 90% of whom live in gospel-resistant areas.

These statistics can make a person feel overwhelmed—too small to make an impact. What a hopeless pursuit!

But throughout the Bible and the rest of human history, God specializes in weakness and the underdog. That’s just the environment that makes Him look glorious! Your complete inability to do anything wonderful and my lack of resources to solve the problem are just what He needs.

His strength begins where yours and mine ends. 

Yes. The problems are insurmountable. There just isn’t enough money. You and I can’t do a doggone thing. That’s why we have been praying and fasting for three weeks!

Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets, with their enemies, their problems, and struggle for victory—complete impossibilities.

Their weakness was turned to strength.

But let’s be clear. It wasn’t because they decided to do something about the ills of the world. It wasn’t anything they brought to the table. I’ve got nothing to offer that is anywhere near helpful. Neither do you.

Only God can do what only God can do.

Let it touch us to the core.

May this reality keep us on our knees until God moves on the behalf of the weak to demonstrate His strength.

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