Beyond Imagination
God makes many promises in His Word. There is a powerful statement in Jeremiah where God declares His faithfulness in going beyond what we can even imagine in meeting our needs. But we have to call out to Him (showing our dependence on Him and trust in Him).
- Jeremiah 33:3 Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.
When we faithfully call on God, He will provide wisdom and ideas and resources and opportunities and strength and passion and courage and favor and so much more; and He will do it in ways and in quantities that we don’t even know to pray for.
In 2 Chronicles, we read that Asa, King of Judah, sought after God and trusted Him when the Ethiopian Zerah threatened the southern kingdom. God was faithful and brought victory despite Judah being vastly outnumbered (see 2 Chronicles 14:9-12).
But later, when Baasha, King of Israel, intended to cut off Judah from northern trade routes by building Ramah, instead of turning to God, Asa now turned to Syria for help (see 2 Chronicles 16). This chain of events leads us to an incredible statement in scripture:
- 2 Chronicles 16:9 For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars.
- The first half of this verse tells us that God is not passively sitting back as he reigns over his creation; He is actively searching for opportunities to demonstrate His power on behalf of those who approach Him in humility, obedience, submission and trust (see the five part devotion H.O.S.T posted on 1/19 – 2/16, 2013 on this site).
- The second half of this verse makes very clear the catastrophic results we face if we put our trust in anything other than God.
So, as Christians, how does all this apply to us as the church and to each of us personally?
In this fallen world, we face many challenges as the body of Christ and as individuals. But God has promised:
- If we depend on Him, He will provide for us in ways we haven’t even imagined.
- If we trust in Him in every situation, He will faithfully see us through and accomplish His glorious purposes.
- If we trust in our own strength, knowledge, ideas, etc. (or anyone or anything else other than God), we only have ourselves to blame for the disastrous results.
Simply put, God loves us more than we are capable of understanding. His love for us is perfect. John 3:16, 1 Corinthians Chapter 13, and many, many other verses in Holy Scripture provide insight into what perfect love is and How God consistently demonstrates His perfect love for us. He is actively seeking those who turn to Him and depend on Him. Our Heavenly Father loves to do great things for us; and He gives the best things (see Matthew 7:11 and James 1:17).
Prayer
My gracious, loving, merciful and generous Heavenly Father, I pray that in every circumstance in life, by the leading and power of Your Holy Spirit, You will give me the inclination and desire to turn to You, and trust in You, and call out to You. May I never trust in my strength. May I never boast in my abilities. May I never limit your grace with what my limited mind can conceive. Thanks for Your perfect love. Thanks for Your unexpected provision. Thanks for the protection and peace You bring to my daily life. I praise You and love You. In Christ’s precious and powerful name, Amen.
