Now all glory to God, who is able, through His mighty power
at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to Him in the church and in Christ
Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen Ephesians 3:20-21
“Hey, Dad, look, no hands!” Those are words that can strike terror into the souls of dads and moms alike. Like the time my then eight-year-old daughter said it while on a swing. Before I could say "No!", she let go, falling backwards onto the ground. She knocked herself out, but fortunately only broke her arm and not her neck. Thank the Lord for large mercies!
Remember all
those great saints of God who stood back and said victoriously, “Hey, no worries,
Lord. Don’t need ya. I’ve got this one,”?
No, because there weren’t any. They were broken and fallible men and
women, many of whom got themselves into their dire circumstances and
couldn’t get out.
But look at those who, taking their hands off and trusted God to do the impossible: Abraham sired the son of promise at 100, Joseph, falsely accused, spent years in prison. However, God made him second in command to Pharoah. Moses was called by God after 40 years of leading flocks in Midian to lead a nation, Rahab, a prostitute, became an ancestral link in the Messianic line, Daniel and his three friends, after being carried into slavery, became influential advisors to the court of kings. And the list goes on.
The
lifechanging power of the Supreme God and His risen Christ was affirmed to
Jewish believers in the first century. One was a particularly nasty tempered individual,
named Saul of Tarsus, whose hatred of Christ and His followers was confronted
on a road outside the city of Damascus. Saul, a Hebrew of Hebrews, circumcised
the 8th day, of the Tribe of Benjamin, and in regard to the law, a
Pharisee (Philippians 3:5), encountered the Jewish Christ and again the
impossible was easily done. Saul met his Moshiach (Messiah) and believed,
becoming Christianity’s most ardent advocate and defender, Paul, the Apostle to
the Gentiles.
If you’re frantically
chasing the Impossible Scheme, remember the One who says He can do the
impossible, can do it. We are encouraged to persevere in faith and in prayer. Once
as a teen, I told my youth leader, “I don’t have enough faith when I pray.” He answered, “You prayed, didn’t you?” When I nodded, he said, “Even if you didn’t
feel it, that you prayed was an act of faith!” When we say to God, “Look,
Father, no hands,” there’s no alarm in His mind. He just smiles and rolls up
His sleeves! Pursue, persist, press on!
Now all
glory to God, who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to
accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. It is to His glory
only. All saving release is through the working of His hands alone. Pursue,
persist, press on, Beloved!
Ken
