It was a typical Sunday morning. Good worship. Good message. Good time to finish up so that I could get some lunch. (Be careful not to throw stones, because you know exactly what I’m talking about!) Then it happened…
At the end of his message, our pastor typically offers an opportunity for people to come forward for prayer. Sometimes it’s an altar call that’s related in some way to his message. Other times he calls people up for other special prayer needs as the Holy Spirit leads him. I see it every week, so I’m not even sure why I was surprised this time.
On this particular Sunday it was a call for people that needed to be encouraged, and for those who wanted to recommit themselves to the Word of God to help them find that encouragement. Several people responded, and I prayed from my seat that God would meet these people as they came forward to renew this commitment in their lives.
Then she stepped forward.
She is someone that I know mostly through my wife. I don’t actually know very much about her, but I do know that she really needs God in a greater way in her life right now. I didn’t even know she was there that week until I watched her walk forward to join the others at the altar.
But why she went forward is really irrelevant. What I realized was that whatever the reason, she went forward because she believed that God could do something about it. This is exactly what it means for Christians to believe that God is sovereign. We believe that God is all-powerful, and that as our Supreme Ruler He can do whatever He pleases.
He created the universe. He fashioned our DNA. He is directly responsible for every part of our existence. If He can do all of that, then He can certainly change our circumstances. Paul states in his letter to the church in Ephesus…
Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams]– To Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever. Amen (so be it).
– Ephesians 3:20-21 (Amplified)
There are two things that I would like to draw your attention to…
- There is a little bit of my wife’s friend in all of us. We pray because we believe that He can change things, and this belief should move us to act on that faith more often. What are you carrying right now that you need to believe that God can change?
- In response to the idea that God is able to do FAR more than we can imagine, Paul’s natural reaction was to worship. After all, that’s what he was doing when he said, “To Him be the glory…”. What is your act of worship to Him who is able to do superabundantly, far over and above all that we ask or think?
I believe that the idea of God’s sovereignty is the mark that defines our faith. It is important that Christians never forget how much God love us, and that He is bigger than any circumstance that we will ever encounter. I’ll talk more soon about the times that He doesn’t change our circumstances, but regardless we must believe that He is able. Anything less simply makes Him just like us.
So may you realize how big your God is. And may you have the confidence in Him to step forward when you realize that you just can’t do it by yourself anymore. And most of all, may you humbly honor and glorify the One who can change our circumstances no matter how big or little they may seem. Amen.
Photo by David Dennis (via Flickr). Post by Dan King of BibleDude.net.
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This post speaks into something I’ve been facing for a while. I’m so familiar with His sovereignty, with how big He is. I don’t doubt that He *can* do something about anything, but to be honest, that thought no longer moves me to prayer. The question for me has become, “*Will* He do something about what matters to me?” And I know this sounds self-centered and a bit petty, but I know He doesn’t have to do anything I ask of Him, and oftentimes, He doesn’t.
When I ask Him for help, am I just saying the words and making up my mind to do better? Does He really help? I think this is where the rubber of faith must meet the road, but I admit, I struggle with His reality at times, because I am so human, and He is so Other.
Kelly…
Thanks for sharing you thoughts and your heart. I don’t think that you are alone in this! I’ll definitely be talking more about the idea of whether He ‘will’ do something or not soon… I have a hard enough time trying to figure out other humans, so I don’t pretend to think that I have God’s reasons all figured out.
But you make a great observation when you say, “I am so human, and He is so Other.” And, I think that is a big part of the point that I am trying to make here. He is God. Whether we like the decision or not, His sovereignty means that He’s got the right to make that decision. But we must recognize that He is able to do anything He wants. Without this, our faith is empty. But once we grasp this idea, I believe that it should just move us to worship Him.
Thanks again or sharing!
I can so relate to you on this Kelly.
I was just telling Dan the other night these exact thoughts/feelings. I never have doubted that He ‘could’, but ‘would’ He for me? I went through a season of great anxiety and depression over a matter, and it was about 3 years before I began to find peace. It wasn’t until I realized that God is Sovereign, and the bottom line was He simply ‘could’, regardless of ‘would’ He for me. Just knowing that He ‘could’ transitioned back to giving me hope because I had such a resounding truth grabbing ahold of my heart that He ‘could’, and the ONE who ‘could is the ONE [in His sovereignty] “goes before all things and in Him he holds all things together” (Colossians 1:17).
When that truth grabbed my heart I found tremendous peace knowing He knows my hearts cry, and that I have to walk out that faith walk, like you mentioned, and just believe He has purpose working out in our daily lives…REGARDLESS!
My circumstance has not changed, but my attitude toward Him has, and in return I have SO much peace even in the midst of tears.
Thanks for sharing Krista (my AMAZING wife)!
I know that this was a big thing for you, and I can testify to the difference that this truth has made in your life (and mine). So I appreciate you coming here to share your experience in this! You rock!
I’m struggling to articulate my thoughts here. Something about prayer. About it being “with” God. About it being simple presence, like putting my head upon His knee and simply being silent. I know God’s people ask things of Him. They always have. But I am less interested in that these days. Not sure why…
Ahhh…. L.L.! I’m totally with you on this! Getting a hold of this idea made me feel the same way! There is nothing more amazing than the peace of His presence. It is amazing to rest in the comfort of the Creator!
Thanks for sharing such a beautiful image… “like putting my head upon His knee and simply being silent.”
I agree with Dan what a beautiful image. Some may wonder “what, I don’t get it”? It is not something our minds can wrap itself around…it’s next to impossible, if not impossible. It is an ‘experience’ that explains itself, and once you have experienced the amazing presence of God like that it is like no other. It brings that peace the Bible talks about that surpasses all understanding.
I love these lines of Thomas Merton:
What I do is live.
How I life is pray.
How I pray is breathe.
He is within us and around us and with us. We need only breathe.
Amen! Thank you Maureen!
Maureen, you always come with these wonderful quotes. I don’t always say something about them in response on my blog, but I receive them deeply.
And I see I made a typo. That second line should read:
How I live is pray.
I’m just catching up with this article, Dan. I am totally taken with this discussion too. My prayer life has gone through many seasons. Each time it changes, I think, “what’s going on here?” I always assume something is wrong. Because it feels…different.
I remember I used to love praying on the seashore. Getting up early, watching the sunrise, and throwing my words out over the sound of the tide always made me feel closer to God.
Then one year, it didn’t.
What’s wrong with me? I wondered. Then I realized, that my prayer life had grown so much that year, that a change of scenery didn’t matter. I could feel His breath so close no matter where I was.
All this to say, thank you for this reminder that one reason I pray is I believe in the “beyond anything I can ever ask or imagine” kind of God.
Trusting Him came somewhere along the way.
That’s awesome Laura! Thanks for sharing! Trust certainly is a key element of faith. Having that trust is (or should be) the foundation of our faith. One could even argue that it is a ‘doctrine’ that we already accept simply by the fact that we believe that Jesus can forgive our sins (allowing us to be a Christian in the first place).
Thanks for checking this out!