"As a child of God, you ought to expect God to answer your prayers. Do you ask God to do something without adjusting your life to what you are praying? If you are praying for revival, how are you preparing for its coming? If you are praying for forgiveness, are you still living with guilt? If you have asked God to provide for your needs, do you remain worried and anxious? Ask God to increase your faith, and then begin living a life that reflects absolute trust in him." - Henry Blackaby
We all want God to answer our prayers. We believe in the power of prayer, but when it comes down to our own individual lives and problems, we often don’t have the faith to believe that God will answer. Unbelief and independence trap us. But God wants to enlarge our territory and bless us with increase, because His nature is to bless. Our lack of faith and our fear of stepping out in dependence on Him are what get in the way. The truth is that the things we do for God should be outside of our own abilities; they should be evidence that we are trusting in His supernatural ability.
When we back away from dependence, we are not living by faith. We need to be willing to attempt things big enough that unless God steps in, we are sure to fail. Faith is like jumping out of an airplane at fifteen thousand feet. If God doesn’t catch you, you will fall and crash. But how do you know unless you jump? This is the kind of faith and dependence He is looking for in our lives. Remember the prayer of Jabez in 1 Chronicles 4:10:
"Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, ‘Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.’ And God granted his request.”
Jabez cried out to God to enlarge his territory and bless him. He cried out for God’s hand to be with him. Jabez was greatly blessed by God because he didn’t let obstacles become larger than his faith. He knew the character of God and that He loved to bless. We, too, are made for destiny. We have a God-inspired desire to impact our world. Created for something bigger than ourselves, we are designed to touch a lost world. We long to make an impact on our land for eternity, whether it is where we work, live or minister.
But in reality most of us are afraid to step out by faith.
An African antelope called the impala can jump to over ten feet high and over a distance of thirty feet! But you can keep impalas from escaping with only a three-foot-high stone wall. They can’t see where they will land on the other side of the wall, so they won’t even try to jump it.
In the same way, we often won’t try anything we can’t see because we are locked in by our fears. Faith is the ability to trust God even when we cannot see. Faith frees us to trust Him who has all the resources of heaven. Why are we afraid to become dependent on a God who has all the resources in the world with limitless power? He wants to bless us, but we must have faith.
If we pray for God to enlarge our borders, we must depend on Him and prepare to believe for miracles that only He can do. God gives us the desires of our hearts, and He wants to answer extraordinary prayers combined with extraordinary faith. He wants us to live beyond our self-imposed limits. He wants to give us favor, but many of us don’t believe it. I encourage you to begin to pray "big" prayers, because God wants to bless you.
I realize that I must demonstrate my dependence on God even when I feel weak, by stepping out by faith in whatever way He leads. It is not easy, but I must say "no" to fear. Recently I've had to do that on several occasions, and it worked! I watched God perform a miracle as I stepped out by faith for Him. Our willingness and weakness offered to God’s will and supernatural power result in God’s unlimited opportunity to bless us.
God is trying to teach each one of us dependence in His strong hands and supernatural power.
A small group of scientists were searching for an extremely rare flower in the Himalayan Mountains. After a long search, they found it, but it was growing on the side of a very steep cliff and they had no way to get it. They finally had an idea and asked a young boy if they could lower him over the cliff on a rope to get it. They offered him a bribe that was quite big in the eyes of that small boy. But the cliff was scary and extremely dangerous.
The boy thought for a minute and suddenly told the scientists to wait a minute, and he ran home. Finally he returned again with an older man. He told them that if they let his father hold on to the rope, he would allow them to lower him over the side of the cliff. He knew that his father would protect him. This example is similar to our relationship with God, our heavenly Father.
If God is holding the rope, then we can trust Him completely with our lives because we know He will not let go.
When we surrender our weakness into the mighty hands of God, our needs and problems turn into His unlimited opportunity. Then God becomes great through us, and He can entrust us with an enlarged territory and the fulfillment of His plan for us. But we have to take steps of faith, even if they are small. God honors these steps and turns them into His unlimited opportunity, because at that very point we become dependent on Him. This is His plan for our lives. If we are willing to give Him our weakness and obey His Word by faith, then it opens the door for supernatural power and God’s opportunity to bless us.
What step of faith is God asking you to take today? Will you put everything into His almighty hands, adjust your life to what you are praying for, and step out by faith in whatever way He leads? When you do this, you become dependent in His dependable hands. He is waiting for your invitation to enlarge your faith.
It is time to evaluate our personal faith life. Answer the following personal questions carefully and prayerfully.
- How is God presently testing my faith?
- In what way does He want to enlarge my territory?
- What impossible assignment has He given me in prayer?
- In what way am I trusting Him for something bigger than myself?
- How am I stepping out of my comfort zone?
- How am I surrendering my weakness, needs, and problems into His mighty hands?
- In what way is God teaching me to depend on His strength and supernatural power?
Today's Bible Verse...
People were bringing little
children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked
them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, Let the
little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of
God belongs to such as these.—Mark 10:13-14
Thoughts on Today's Verse...
We
humans are always trying to define our place in the "pecking order" of
life. Jesus reminds his disciples that they have to throw away the
everyday rules of the pecking order if they are to really be part of his
Kingdom. In fact, he was quite angry with them because they denied
toddlers' access to him, apparently because these disciples didn't deem
the little ones worthy of their Master's time, energy, and attention.
Jesus, as he so often did, turned their common worldly values upside
down and reminded them they needed to pay more attention to the
character of toddlers than their own sense of importance if they were
ever going to understand God's Kingdom.
My Prayer...
Father, thank you for valuing me as your child. Re-awaken
in me the wonder, humility, and awe as I seek to live for you and your
Kingdom! In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
The Thoughts and Prayer on Today's Verse are written by Phil Ware.
Today's Verse Illustrated...
No Parent Is Perfect by Kevin A. Miller and Joseph Farris
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