What is the most challenging thing in your life? What is it that is causing your faith to fail and harnessing your hope because you cannot see a beautiful end to your situation? Is there an illness that is consuming you, a financial burden that is weighting you, a relationship problem that seems irresolvable, a career that constrains you, and a future that looks bleak? Have you given up hope? Have you shortened your prayer? Are you looking through the lens of your life and see only darkness ahead?
Life happens. Sometimes circumstances get difficult. The Bible explains the root cause of pain and suffering in this world and Jesus affirmed that this is a fact of life that should be understood. There is a remedy however and Jesus is the answer.
There is also another principle that Jesus taught that should also be realized by those that put their faith in Him; ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE WITH GOD.
Sometimes in my own life I feel like I am trying to do the impossible. Whether investing in lives that seem so messed up that it appears impossible to untangle the knots, or in building bridges in community where it feels as though no connection is desired. The economic realities of living in our beloved town can become a point of discouragement. Sometimes the very idea of raising children in a way that honors God, in a loving, encouraging home seems daunting at best. If you mix in the truths of broken heartedness from myriads of failures and frustrations, it becomes so easy for one to slide into a dark place. The pressures that many people face everyday can be easily overwhelming. This is why we must remember the words of Jesus; “ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE WITH GOD”.
Last week I was ministering at one of the senior care facilities in Ojai when a woman come up to me afterward with some very strong words. With her years of wisdom and experience worn on every wrinkle and grey hair, she boldly looked me right in the eyes and proclaimed, “You have the message of God so ask largely! The world is before you, and if God is the one to be glorified, ASK LARGELY!” Her words were compelling and her demeanor was quite serious. She exhorted me to expand my prayer.
As I went away I was stricken with her message. Is my prayer too small? Do I believe it is true that “ALL things are possible with God”? If God was to give any large blessing to me that I asked, what should I request? This would take prayerful thought and deliberation. If I were to receive what I ask and nothing was out of bounds that glorifies God and not myself, what should it be? Jesus clearly instructed that what is impossible for man is possible with God. There is a lot in my life that is impossible for me. What about God? What should I ask Him for?
Now it’s your turn. Imagine that this same principle is as true for you as it is for me. Consider that God’s heart for us is equal and wants to do miracles in your life as much as He wants to do them in mine. Perhaps He would say to you the same message that was spoken to me “Ask Largely!” What will you ask for? What would become the new core of your prayer? What will happen in your faith and hope for the future when you ask God for something bigger? Would you like to change the world? It can start in your own heart. After all, Jesus said it, “All Things Are Possible With God!”