I often hear someone say, “What can one person do? Can one person or a small group really make a difference?” I have said these very words myself.
Think about this from a scriptural standpoint. Some of the greatest events in the Bible were accomplished with small numbers. In some cases, there was resistance; but with God’s help, the minority won.
Moses is a perfect example of this. When the angel of the Lord appeared to Moses in the burning bush, God called out to him. He explained to Moses that He had heard the people in Egypt crying for help. He wanted Moses to go to Egypt and lead His people out of bondage. Moses started making excuses. “Who am I? What should I say to people? When they ask me who sent me, what should I say? They won’t believe me. I can’t talk well.” Finally, Moses said, “send someone else.” By this time, the Lord was fed up with him. He had taken away every excuse; and, with this final excuse, God said, “I’ll send your brother, Aaron with you.”
Moses did go to Egypt; and he did, with God’s help and the help of Aaron, deliver the people out of Egypt. He led them through many trials and to the borders of the land of Canaan. One man, supported by another man, delivered around 600,000 people from a tyrant who had tortured them for years. They walked across a dry path in the middle of the Red Sea to safety and a life of freedom.
The people turned from God on more than one occasion, and God allowed heathen nations to take their animals and plunder their land. Such was the case with the Midianites and the Amalekites. The Israelites were desperate, and they begged God to relieve them of their enemies. God chose a man named Gideon, who, like Moses, didn’t think he could do what God was asking him to do. Three times he asked for a sign that it was really God asking him to destroy these two armies. When Gideon finally decided he was the chosen one to lead this army, he gathered an army of 32,000 men. God told him that was too many, and he sent home any that was afraid. Ten thousand men remained, but God said that this was still too many. Gideon arranged a stop at a water hole where he watched the men drank. Those that lapped water like a dog were chosen to go into battle. The number was 300.
A well-devised strategic plan sent these 300 men into the camp of the enemy, and defeat of the enemy was the result. Gideon with his 300, led by God, won the battle.
When the physical Christ came into the world, God had a plan for the Savior to be introduced to the world. A traveling preacher named John spread the news. He preached that the promised Messiah, the one the Jews had been searching for, had now come to save the world from their sins.
It wasn’t an easy road for John. Many didn’t believe him; and, in the end, he was beheaded for preaching the truth. But one man announced to the world that Jesus was there, alive, and they needed to make way for Him.
Jesus chose twelve men to accomplish a mission. It was to be their job to teach the gospel to the world. One man would defect, but the other eleven would stick with Him and do what they were chosen to do. Another man was added to this group to preach to the people on Pentecost. Later, the Lord would choose Paul, a Roman that persecuted the Christians, to join the other apostles in belief and purpose.
In years to come, eight men who were inspired by the Holy Spirit, recorded the words we know as the New Testament. These words guide in the commands for salvation, worship, and provide a view into eternal life.
Small numbers are a tribute to the Father. They attest to His power and His ability to turn things around. Each of us is one person, and who knows what we each can do with His help?
Sandra Oliver