God often sides with the underdog!

“If a thousand people say something foolish, it is still foolish.”

John Mason “An Enemy Called Average”

 Many times standing for truth puts you in the minority. As a matter of fact, it almost always does!

Seeking truth by looking for a consensus of public opinion can lead you in the wrong direction. There was a time when most people responding to a poll would have said the earth was flat.

Always siding with the strongest, the ‘shoo in’ or the most popular could keep you from cheering for the eventual winner. Would you put your money on the 135,000 armed veteran soldiers or the comical band of 300 farmers carrying lights hidden in clay pots and holding party horns? (Judges 7) Watch out … you could be fooled on this one.

If you had witnessed the seismic confrontation between 850 of Baal’s and the Asherah prophets, both officially backed by their government … and a crusty, all alone spokesman for God named Elijah, who would you assume the winner would be? (I Kings 18)

Or how about the conflict between a violent lake storm and a man’s voice? (Mark 4) Or the encounter between a skinny teenager with a slingshot and stones versus a national champion standing over eight feet tall, armed to the teeth? (I Samuel 17)

Would you have put your money on the hunger of 5,000 to 10,000 people or on the sack lunch of a little boy? (Matthew 14) Or throw a prophet into a room with hungry lions and guess the outcome! (Daniel 6)

God seldom sides with the majority, but throws his weight behind those who seek truth and stand for it. Be assured that righteousness will ultimately prevail and win the war, not because it has the most momentum or votes but because God honors truth and those who seek it.

Some of God’s best work comes on behalf of the minority. It’s the ‘poor in spirit’ who get his attention. He can be found in the corner of the ‘hopelessly outnumbered.’ He loves giving strength to those with none. He brings the answer to people who don’t have it.

He is friend to the friendless … wisdom to the clue-less … direction to the lost wanderer … family to the disenfranchised … and comfort to the lonely and broken-hearted.

This week don’t seek a consensus; seek the One who often makes the consensus meaningless.

“In your strength I can crush an army;
 with my God I can scale any wall. God’s way is perfect.

All the Lord’s promises prove true.
 He is a shield for all who look to him for protection.

For who is God except the Lord? Who but our God is a solid rock?”

Psalm 18:29-31 New Living Translation