One is enough. With just one, God does amazing things. With a single individual, loss can be converted into victory. A single person can mean a tragedy is overcome. It happens repeatedly throughout Scripture. One of the best examples is when Lot is taken captive as “collateral damage” in a war between kings.
Then one who had escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew, who was living by the oaks of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and of Aner. These were allies of Abram. When Abram heard that his kinsman had been taken captive, he led forth his trained men, born in his house, 318 of them, and went in pursuit as far as Dan. And he divided his forces against them by night, he and his servants, and defeated them and pursued them to Hobah, north of Damascus. Then he brought back all the possessions, and also brought back his kinsman Lot with his possessions, and the women and the people.
Genesis 14:13-16, ESV
A single man escaped and found his way to Abram, to tell Uncle Abram what happened to nephew Lot. A single individual brought the bad news back to Abram. All it took was one. All it took was this courageous man to let Abram know the fact that had befallen Lot. And with the news, Abram sprung into action. He prepared his own men to go and rescue Lot. They pursued the group who had Lot, defeated them, and brought back everything and everyone.
If you want examples of a single man, led by God, changing the world, the book of Judges is filled with such history. Throughout the rest of Scripture we see men like Moses, like David, like Elijah, like Nehemiah, and like Daniel stepping up and confronting what they knew they needed to do. Maybe God needed to push them a bit, like with Moses, but in the end God was able to use such men to change the course of history. Of course, these men were to point us towards the single Man who could change our history, Jesus. But the single individual making a difference didn’t stop once our Savior won victory at the Cross. Scripture records other individual stepping up and making a difference, too: Peter, Stephen, Philip, and Paul are the obvious ones. But let’s not forget Barnabas, Epaphroditus, or John Mark, either. Barnabas’ contributions are mentioned briefly and the other two are described in loving detail by Paul by Paul for their prayer life and their usefulness. John Mark is a great example of someone who initially didn’t measure up, but later stepped up, changing Paul’s mind about him.
Be encouraged, for even if you are among a small remnant faithfully doing what you’re supposed to be doing, God can use you. Even if you’re the only one, God’s power is not diminished. Maybe God doesn’t bring about what you and I think we should want, but remember that God acts in perfect wisdom, with perfect vision, and with perfect timing. As long as are faithful, even if our number is one, God can bring the miracle. Be encouraged and do not lose hope in any situation God has called you to be in. Perhaps God wants you in the middle of things, like we saw with Elijah or Moses. Or perhaps God just needs you to play a small part, like the man who made it to Abram. Be encouraged, for whatever your role, God is with you. Be encouraged, for whatever your role, “small part” or more, how we size it doesn’t tell the whole story. There are no insignificant tasks or insignificant people in God’s Kingdom. Be encouraged, for whatever good it is we need to do, Scripture tells us that He has already prepared the way before us. All we need to do is faithfully execute and leave the rest to Him. God can use the one or the many. So let’s respond with trust in what He is doing. Be encouraged, even if you are the only one.
Be Encouraged Devotionals 