Caleb was eighty-five years old when he asked Joshua for the mountain God had promised him forty-five years earlier.
Joshua 14:12 records the request: give me this hill country.
The mountain was occupied by the Anakites, a people group famous for their size and their fortified cities.
Caleb knew who lived there. He asked for it anyway, and his reason was blunt: the Lord will be with me, and I shall drive them out.
Forty-five years of waiting had not diminished his appetite for the fight. The obstacle was the same size it had been when ten spies looked at it and said we cannot go up.
Caleb looked at the same obstacle and factored God into the equation, and the math changed.
The Bible is filled with people who stood before something immovable and watched it move. Seas split. Walls collapsed. Lions closed their mouths. Armies scattered without a sword being drawn.
In every case, the obstacle existed to reveal something about God that the person standing in front of it would never have discovered on flat ground.
Obstacles Answered by God’s Presence
1. An Eighty-Five-Year-Old Man Requesting the Hardest Assignment
“Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the LORD spake in that day; for thou heardest in that day how the Anakims were there, and that the cities were great and fenced: if so be the LORD will be with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the LORD said.” Joshua 14:12, King James Version (KJV)
2. Mountains That Relocate When Spoken To
“So Jesus said to them, ‘Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, “Move from here to there,” and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.’” Matthew 17:20, New King James Version (NKJV)
3. A Sea Turned Into a Highway
“Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the LORD drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.” Exodus 14:21, English Standard Version (ESV)
4. Weapons That Require No Conventional Explanation
“For the weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.” 2 Corinthians 10:4, New International Version (NIV)
5. A God Whose Scale Reduces Every Problem
“What is impossible for people is possible with God.” Luke 18:27, New Living Translation (NLT)
When the Obstacle Looks Bigger Than Your Resources
6. A Giant Killed by a Shepherd With a Sling
“Then David said to the Philistine, ‘You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted.’” 1 Samuel 17:45, New American Standard Bible (NASB)
7. More Fighting for You Than Against You
“Don’t be afraid, because there are more on our side than on their side.” 2 Kings 6:16, Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
8. Chariots of Fire Surrounding the Person Who Could Not See Them
“Then Elisha prayed: ‘O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see.’ So the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” 2 Kings 6:17, New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
9. Deliverance From the Furnace That Should Have Killed
“He answered, ‘But I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.’” Daniel 3:25, Revised Standard Version (RSV)
10. A Promise That Shifts How You See the Struggle
“Count it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors.” James 1:2–3, The Message (MSG)
Perseverance When the Obstacle Does Not Move Quickly
11. Running the Course Without Quitting Midway
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance [active persistence, steady determination] the race that is set before us.” Hebrews 12:1, Amplified Bible (AMP)
12. Marching Before the Collapse
“By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days.” Hebrews 11:30, New American Bible, Revised Edition (NABRE)
13. Reaping Linked to Refusing to Abandon the Work
“So let us not become tired of doing good; for if we do not give up, the time will come when we will reap the harvest.” Galatians 6:9, Good News Translation (GNT)
14. Tested Faith Producing Something More Valuable Than Gold
“Such trials show the proven character of your faith, which is much more valuable than gold—gold that is tested by fire, even though it is passing away—and will bring praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” 1 Peter 1:7, New English Translation (NET Bible)
15. Standing Firm When the Pressure Increases
“So, then, brothers and sisters, stand firm. Don’t be shaken. Always be enthusiastic about the Lord’s work, because you know that your labor isn’t going to be for nothing in the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 15:58, Common English Bible (CEB)
God Goes Before You Into the Obstacle
16. A Pathfinder Who Never Abandons the Route
“The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Deuteronomy 31:8, New International Version (NIV)
17. Walking Through the Valley Without Being Consumed by It
“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” Psalm 23:4, King James Version (KJV)
18. Rivers That Cannot Overwhelm and Fire That Cannot Consume
“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.” Isaiah 43:2, New International Version (NIV)
19. Crooked Roads Straightened in Advance
“I will go before you and will level the mountains; I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron.” Isaiah 45:2, English Standard Version (ESV)
20. A Shepherd Who Leads Rather Than Sends
“After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice.” John 10:4, New Living Translation (NLT)
Strength Sourced From Beyond the Obstacle
21. A Power Supply That Refreshes at the Point of Depletion
“He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.” Isaiah 40:29, New International Version (NIV)
22. Enough Capacity for Every Demand the Day Brings
“I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency].” Philippians 4:13, Amplified Bible (AMP)
23. Battle Readiness Supplied by the God Who Assigned the Fight
“He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze.” 2 Samuel 22:35, Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
24. An Opposition That Cannot Hold Its Ground
“What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” Romans 8:31, New International Version (NIV)
25. A Conquest Powered by Something Greater Than the Challenge
“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” Romans 8:37, New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
The Obstacle Repositioned as a Doorway
26. Suffering That Builds What Comfort Could Not
“We also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” Romans 5:3–4, New International Version (NIV)
27. The Guarantee That Carries You Past the Final Barrier
“I am sure of this, that He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6, New American Standard Bible (NASB)
Every Major Breakthrough in Scripture Happened on the Other Side of Something That Looked Impossible
Jericho’s walls were engineered to withstand siege warfare.
God’s strategy was a marching band and a shout. The Israelites circled the city for seven days, blew trumpets, shouted, and Hebrews 11:30 says the walls fell by faith.
The military absurdity of the method ensured that nobody credited the engineering corps.
David faced Goliath without armor, without a sword, and without the experience every soldier in Saul’s army had been trained with. He carried a sling, five stones, and an understanding of whose reputation was actually at stake.
The obstacle was nine feet tall. The God behind the shepherd boy was not measured in feet.
Nehemiah rebuilt the wall of Jerusalem while enemies mocked, threatened, and conspired from every side. He put a tool in one hand and a weapon in the other and told the workers to build with their swords strapped to their sides. The obstacle did not disappear. The work continued through it.
Romans 8:37 says believers are more than conquerors through Christ. The more than is significant because it suggests the victory exceeds mere survival. The obstacle was meant to destroy you, and instead it became the platform where God’s strength showed itself most clearly.
What People Ask About Overcoming Obstacles
What does the Bible say about overcoming obstacles?
Romans 8:37 says believers are more than conquerors through Christ. Philippians 4:13 says strength comes through Christ who empowers. Isaiah 43:2 promises God’s presence through fire and flood. Luke 18:27 says what seems impossible to humans is possible with God. Scripture treats obstacles as stages for divine power.
How did people in the Bible overcome impossible situations?
David defeated Goliath with a sling and faith in God’s name. Israel crossed the Red Sea on dry ground. Jericho’s walls fell after seven days of marching. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego survived a furnace. Each person faced the obstacle with available resources and trusted God to supply what was missing.
Does God allow obstacles for a reason?
James 1:2–3 says trials test faith and produce steadfastness. Romans 5:3–4 says suffering builds perseverance, character, and hope. First Peter 1:7 says tested faith is more valuable than gold. The Bible presents obstacles as formational tools God uses to develop qualities that comfortable circumstances cannot produce.
What Bible verse is best for difficult situations?
Isaiah 41:10 addresses fear with God’s promise of strength and presence. Deuteronomy 31:8 promises God goes before you and will not abandon you. Psalm 23:4 addresses the darkest valley with the assurance of divine companionship. The best verse depends on whether the need is courage, endurance, or reassurance.
How do I trust God when the obstacle seems too big?
Second Kings 6:16–17 reveals unseen armies fighting alongside the person who felt outnumbered. First Samuel 17:45 shows David reframing the fight as God’s battle. Matthew 17:20 says faith the size of a mustard seed moves mountains. Trust grows by recalling what God accomplished through people who faced equally impossible circumstances.
Father, Reframe the Obstacle I Am Staring At
Caleb asked for the mountain at eighty-five because forty-five years of waiting had not changed his conviction that you could deliver on your promise. Where I have been looking at the obstacle and calculating whether my own resources are sufficient, redirect my calculation to include yours.
Where 2 Kings 6:17 shows an invisible army surrounding Elisha that the servant could not see until his eyes were opened, open mine. The forces working on my behalf may already outnumber the forces working against me, and the difference between panic and confidence is what I can perceive.
And where Nehemiah built with a tool in one hand and a weapon in the other, let me work through the opposition rather than waiting for it to clear, because some obstacles are not removed before the assignment. They are overcome during it.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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