God Gets an “F” in Math

I don’t know about you, but math was never my favorite subject. My grades were good enough, but a love of math was absent during my school days. I wonder what grade my teachers would give if they saw the answers to the following math quiz.

1. 1 + 1 = 1
2. 2 + 2 + 2 +… = 8.7 million
3. 3 = 1
4. 1 = 365 = 1
5. 1 – 1 = 1
6. 5 + 2 divided by 5000 = 12
7. 2 >10
8. 32,000 – 22,000 – 9,700 > than 135,000
9. 70 X 7 does not = 0
10. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,…100,000

God Almighty. Recheck the work, think­ing scripturally this time. Here are some hints: 1) Marriage principle, 2) The ark and number of species of animals that exist, 3) Trinity, 4) A day is like a year, and a year is like a day, 5) Jesus was born, died, and rose again, 6) Five loaves plus two fish, eaten by 5000 people, yields 12 baskets of leftovers, 7) Jesus said the two commandments He gave were greater than the ten Moses received, 8) Gideon reduced his army two times to 300 men but defeated the Midianites, 9) Forgiv­ing someone seventy times seven is not enough to relieve you of the responsibil­ity to forgive, 10) God has numbered the hairs on your head.

Of course, God didn’t fail this test. The “F” doesn’t stand for “fail” but for “faith.” Each of these equations requires some faith to believe or understand the principles behind them.

Pigeon-holing God, according to our principles and theorems, ties one of His hands behind His back. We should con­sider His formulas. As the only Sovereign One, God has an element that the best mathematicians usually ignore. Not only has He created math and its rules, but He also has added an important facet of His divine nature to what we might call “miracles.”

What does this have to do with your daily existence? Your life is a myriad of mathematical equations. Checking your sched­ule should convince you of that fact. How can you get more done when hours are limited? That’s what Joshua thought (Joshua 10). Your finances are another area that can make you feel like your bank balance can never cover your expenses. Just ask the widow about Elisha’s faith (2 Kings 4:1-7).

Are you feeling wedged in, incapable of moving forward because of the past? Put the principle of 1 = 365 = 1 to work. What you have before you may seem like a tough year with too many days, but it is just one day to God. But in His “one day” are 365 days of possibilities. To change your attitude to what God says, you’ll have to apply your faith (Jeremiah 29:11).

Do you feel defeated and over­whelmed by obstacles? Put Gideon’s principle to work and cut out the stuff you don’t really need. Whittle down to the point where only your faith and God’s grace are your sources to overcome the enemy that has come against you. Discrimination, cultural traditions, and gender bias cannot stand in the wake of a heavenly army that fights for you (Deuteronomy 20:2).

Do you feel you don’t have the resources you need to be the woman God wants you to be? Put the principle of feeding the 5000 to bear in your life. Take what you know you do have and offer it to the Lord. Let Him multiply it so that you will have more than enough to accomplish His will. Here is a new equation: Your resourc­es + what you’ve been given + faith and trust in God X prayer = multiplied results. You might just have to give some of the surpluses away to an­other needy person!

God gets an “F” because faith runs through many of His mathematical equa­tions. Without faith, it is impossible to please God. Without faith, a miracle reduces to a coincidence. Faith is as much a part of God’s world as fact is. Since He created both, we can operate in both. You don’t want to have one of your hands tied behind your back as you walk through your world.

When you arise in the morning, ask God to surprise you. Ask Him to show you how, when things don’t add up, He just might be working. Choose to wrap your­self in faith and wait for your testimony.

Woman of faith, get excited about participation in God’s “new math”!