Are you facing a seemingly impossible situation? I want you to know that, as a child ofAbraham, you are in a position to make use of the zero factor. Put yourself in the place of Abraham and Sarah. They were both over 90 years of age, with nothing but a promise from God that a son would come from Abraham’s body — and that he would be the father of many nations. Sarah was barren and well-past childbearing years. They didn’t doubt God’s Word, but they had tried taking matters into their own hands. Sarah thought maybe the prophecy would be fulfilled through Abraham and her maidservant Hagar, but that was a big mistake! Usually when we act on our own without waiting for God to come through, we mess things up.
Can you imagine, though? It would take true faith to believe that a child could come into their lives at this age. And consider their track record. In everyone’s eyes, including their own — they were two “zero’s” when it came to reproducing. With all their hoping, wishing, dreaming, praying and desiring, they could not get beyond “the zero factor.” They had been married for decades, yet they had “nothing” to show for it. I believe that sometimes God delights when His children are in this very uncomfortable zone of having, seeing, feeling — nothing. God doesn’t delight in our suffering, but in the opportunity to prove Himself.
God likes to have the “odds” stacked against Him. He loves the “hopeless” cases — He is God. He wants all the glory. He wants the opportunity to demonstrate that He can turn hopelessness into hope — death into life — trouble into triumph. Miracles begin with “nothing.” Everything that we see — the world, the sky, the light, the waters, the plants and animals — everything was spoken into existence out of “nothing.” God is the Creator — He knows how to take our “nothing” and form it into something useful in His hand. It’s almost impossible for us to understand. Men call each other creative if they paint a picture or build a bridge. But even the architect and the artist must use materials to create their works of art. They must start with something.
With God it is different. He knew man needed some shade from the heat and food to eat and He spoke trees into existence. That’s what makes Him God. He needs no other resources outside of Himself. Just think about it. When you’ve reached the point of zero — you have nothing in your hand; your marriage has dwindled away to nothing — your hope of promotion on the job has gone; your children are away from home and their lives are messed up — the doctors have given you no hope — you are in the place where miracles begin.
This reminds me of a young man from the Bronx, Brother Anthony Alverez. If anyone knows about the “zero factor,” Anthony does. Anthony is not proud of his past. He had been born and raised in New York City. At the young age of 24, Anthony not only was addicted to heroin, but he learned that he had full blown AIDS in his body. At that time Anthony didn’t know anything about God and had nothing but hatred in his heart. Anthony was brought to the place of “nothing.” He had no money; his health was gone; he was facing death; he was without God in his life; and, he was living in a neighborhood without hope. Yet, our miracle-working God had other plans for Anthony.God revealed Himself to this young man, in a very similar way to Abraham’s experience. God told Anthony there was work for him to do; He called him to preach. In Anthony’s mind that seemed like a dream. His body was riddled with AIDS; he had no hope. How would he preach the Gospel? But Anthony didn’t doubt God. He accepted the call and humbled himself before the Lord. God healed Anthony of AIDS and gave him a second chance. He also gave Anthony a beautiful wife, whom the doctors said would never have children because of Anthony’s disease.
Once again, God created something out of nothing. Anthony and his wife have two, very healthy — very active twin boys. No sign of AIDS exists in any family member. Anthony is now preaching the Gospel around the world, because God is the Lord of the impossible circumstance. Under the tent, Anthony told us that he proved God again in another area. His family had some significant debt that had not budged. They had no means of getting rid of that debt. God spoke to him and told him to give $100 - he really couldn’t afford to give — and before the tent came down, all of Anthony’s debt was paid off. The “zero factor.” It was multiplied many times over in Anthony’s life. Yet, because he believed God, he went from being a heroin addict — to preaching the Gospel; he changed from facing death with full blown AIDS — to being miraculously healed; his family, instead of facing barrenness in their marriage — was granted two beautiful sons; and instead of unpaid debt — Anthony is facing financial freedom. NOTHING IS TOO DIFFICULT FOR GOD!
THE POWER OF NOTHINGNESS:
When I relay stories like Anthony’s many people begin to formulate questions in their minds. “How can a street person, hooked on heroin, draw a miracle out of God? I’ve been in the church all my life. I have a pin for 25 years of Sunday School attendance. I know the Bible inside and out. I’ve got all the faith in the world. How come I can’t get my miracle? I still have the same old problems!” You are the problem. All that comes out of your mouth is “I.” In your mind you are somebody. You have tried to handle the situation. You have tried to remedy it. Just like Sarah and Abraham, you tried to get God’s promise fulfilled in your own way. God has to get you into a place in which you run out of options.
Think about the woman in Luke 8 who had been hemorrhaging for twelve long years. The Bible says she had spent all her money on doctors. Instead of getting better, she just grew worse in her condition. Although she seemingly had no one to take her to Jesus; no family member to carry her — she somehow managed to get to Him and reach out and touch His garment. The Bible says Jesus was arrested in His tracks because she touched Him with faith. Her faith drew a miracle out of Jesus and immediately the bleeding stopped. God’s timing is so perfect. Jesus walked into her life after the doctors could do nothing for her — after her bank account was at “double zero” — after all hope was gone. She had no other option but Jesus.
This is the power of nothing-ness. When we have exhausted all other resources; when we have tried to do things in our own strength; when people can’t help you and no money is available — those negative circumstances put us in the position of trusting God. Sooner or later we must realize that we can’t earn God’s faithfulness with our righteousness. It is not our Christian track record that causes God to act on our behalf. Anything that we get from God must come by faith,
“..And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him” (Hebrews 11:6).
You and I more than likely start earnestly seeking God when we run out of all other options. That “zero factor” is part of the solution, for it puts us in the place to trust God and Him alone.
THE GLORY OF NOTHINGNESS:
In this world in which we live, many people are impressed by the glory of wealth and riches; others are mesmerized with the glory of fame and popularity; still more worship the glory of unlimited power and eternal youth. All of these things can distract people from seeing God’s glory:
“But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things — and the things that are not — to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him” (1 Corinthians 1"27-29 NIV).
God waited until Abraham was 100 years old and Sarah was in old age before He gave them Isaac. Why? Isaac was the son of promise. Isaac was a miracle-child. Every time Sarah and Abraham would look on Isaac they would remember that their God was a covenant-keeping God and they would give Him all the glory. All those who knew Abraham would know that God honored His servant with a miracle — and that the God of Abraham was a God of might and power. Our God gets glory out of the place of nothingness in which we find ourselves. Throughout Scripture we see evidence of God receiving glory out of what the rest of the world calls “nothing.”
I love the story of Gideon. As leader of Israel, God spoke to him and said, “You have 32,000 men. That’s too many for me to deliver Midian into your hands. I need to get you down to the irreducible minimum — down to the “zero factor.” I don’t want Israel bragging that they were saved by their own strength.” (Now, of course, I’m paraphrasing a little bit, but you read the story in Judges 7). God had to reduce the army to just 300 men. What was 300 men against the host of the Midians? If that were not enough, God gave them the most ridiculous looking weapons any army has ever seen. He chose the foolish things to confound the wise. God put a torch, a jar and a trumpet in every hand.
At just the right time, when the enemy was surrounded, God commanded His army to break the jar, lift up the torch and blow the trumpet. The sound of breaking jars, the glow of the bright light and the echoes of the trumpets put such fear in the hearts of the Midianites, they ended up killing each other. Israel didn’t even have to draw swords — because God defeated the enemy and got all the glory. What a truth this story holds for you and me! When we are in the place of nothing, we are like those empty jars. Yet, on the inside we have the fire of the Holy Ghost still burning.
“It’s ..Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit says the Lord of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6 KJV).
When we are surrounded on all sides by the enemy. God breaks through our flesh; the Holy Spirit fans the flame of faith on the inside, then like a trumpet we lift up our voices in praise to the God of Israel — God defeats the enemy while we are praising Him. Others would say that we are foolish for shouting and praising God in the midst of our suffering. To them we look strange for blessing God in the midst of nothingness; but, God gets glory out of nothing — He chooses the foolishness of man to put the wise to shame. Are you in the place of nothingness? Are you surrounded on all sides by the enemy? Does there seem to be no way out? You are in the place where miracles happen. Put your weapons of praise and worship to work. God has a miracle with your name on it — you are ripe for a great triumph in your life. Think about it. When that miracle takes place, everyone around you will have to acknowledge your miracle was “nothing but God!”
THE MIRACLE OF NOTHINGNESS:
So there you are. All hope is gone. There is no way out. God finally has you in the place where a miracle can begin. When you humble yourself before the Lord and say, “God, I have nothing; I am nothing; nothing that I do or say can save me,” that’s when the transformation begins to take place. God says, “finally, you are in the place for me to do what I do best — I am going to create something out of nothing.” The apostle Paul learned this truth early on:
“If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless. But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ” (Philippians 3:4b-7).
According to Paul’s own testimony, it was when he was stripped of his aristocratic upbringing — his impressive religious track record — and his stellar educational resume, God was able to create something out of nothing. In the eyes of Paul’s religious contemporaries, he was a fool to embrace Jesus and His gospel of heresy and insurrection. But that act of dying to his earthly entitlements and accomplishments, brought a resurrection in the life of Saul the persecutor. He became the Apostle Paul — perhaps the greatest perpetrator of the faith since the resurrection of our Lord. Paul credits any accomplishments to the Lord’s work in him and Paul’s own nothingness:
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).
Herein lies the miracle of nothingness. When we crucify our flesh and die to ourselves; when we allow God to meet us in the place of death; Christ is resurrected in us — and the miracle of transformation takes place. In my experience it is the drug addict, the prostitute, the homeless person, the alcoholic that can draw a miracle out of God most quickly. No one has to tell these individuals they are “nothing”; the world and its rejection has taught them that. They come to God humbly saying, “Lord, be merciful to me a sinner.” Then, God creates a new life out of that nothingness. Old things are past away and all things become new.
Sometimes God will use the situations you and I face that bring us to the point of humble honesty: “God, I have no hope — no answers — no power to succeed. I’m like a dead person. If I’m ever going to be anything in this life, it will be because you create something out of nothing.” That’s when God will take over. Our faith in God’s great power will move His hand. God will use “the zero factor” in your life to bring your greatest miracle. Then the world will know, you are who you are because of God, and God alone.
