Tell Your Problems How Big God Is

This week’s Torah portion talks about trusting God when going to battle. “When you go out to the battle against your enemy, and you see horse and chariot – a people more numerous than you – you shall not fear them, for God, your God is with you, Who brought you up from the land of Egypt” (Deut 20:1).

Interestingly, the word for horse is singular. God is describing a situation where the Jews are outnumbered - the situation looks precarious and intimidating. Why would the Torah then use the word ‘sus’, horse, in the singular instead of ‘susim’, horses, when it is describing a situation where there would be hundreds, if not thousands of horses?

Lesson:
Rashi, a famous Torah commentary, comments on this idea which reveals a beautiful perspective. He comments that the Torah purposely keeps the word for horse singular because God is telling us that even though there may be hundreds or thousands of horses chasing after you, to God, they are all considered like one horse. To God no problem is too big; saving you from a million horses is the same to Him as saving you from one horse. God can do anything. Easily.

There is a saying, “Don’t tell God how big your problems are, but rather tell your problems how big God is.” God can solve any problem, big or small. Not only can He, but God wants to! This is reflected in how God relates to us in the end of the sentence – God reminds us that it was He who took us out of the land of Egypt. What does Egypt have to do with the current idea?

In Parshat Shlach, God tells us why he took us out of Egypt, “leheyot lechem lelokim” ‘to be a God to us’.  When a child, God forbid, is in a painful situation, nothing gives the parent more pleasure than to whisk that child away from that situation as quickly as they can. By the parent removing that child from pain and saving them from further duress, a special bond is created, and the child takes solace, feels love, and places trust in the parent.

God is our Father – He put us in Egypt so He could take us out. Why? So the Jewish people, nationally and individually, could know and feel that God whisked us away and that we can take solace, feel love, and place trust in Him. And it wasn’t just so we could be free from our problems, but so that we could receive something beautiful – the Torah!

We too want to be free from our problems but for a purpose of living a beautiful, productive, and fulfilling life. God wants that for us as well. To God, giving someone twenty dollars is the same as twenty million dollars. One might have to create the vessel for God to bless them, but to God no blessing is too big to give and no problem is too big to solve. Just like God saved us in Egypt, God will save us now – because He loves us and wants to ‘be a God to you’.

Exercise: Dream big. Think of all the blessings you want in your life and ask God for it. Know that as big as it seems, to God no blessing is too big and He can give you that and more! Please God you should see it soon!