How to See God’s Power Unleashed in Your Problem

Number 51 in the series “God Rocks: 101 Amazing Everyday Gifts!” The miracles and promises of Jesus that show us the awesome blessings we can experience each day. I hope it encourages you!

Let’s be real, there are times we all face problems that are way beyond our power to fix.

We’re cruising along peacefully and suddenly, wham, we get blindsided.

And often it seems the more we try to solve it the worse things get.

Photo Credit: Gwenael Piaser

So what do we naturally do?

Well I, way too often, find myself getting mad at God or someone else. Criticizing society or the government. Bemoaning some past failure. A whole array of less than constructive responses.

And frankly I find the help we get at church often not much better.

We may get the “super powers” response. “Just claim what you want. Jesus, because he’s in Heaven, has given us all power to get whatever we ask.”

Or the opposite “super saint” response. “Pray in the most general of terms and always end with, ‘But not my will but thine be done’.” You’ve got to pray in King James English you know or it doesn’t count.

Yet I find way too often little happens and I question why?

Jesus made a statement that I think gives some clues.

He said, “A student is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the student to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master.” *

Jesus presents a riddle. Frankly, I often wish he’d just given us a step by step guide.

But here go my thoughts on how it works.

First, realize we’re not greater than Jesus. I know you’re thinking, “Wow, this guy’s insightful.” But stay with me.

Often the way we pray is as though God is a genie. Tell him to perform a trick and he performs. Unfortunately, I’ve learned it doesn’t work exactly like that.

Second, instead we’re to pray like Jesus. Jesus had a huge advantage in that he knew what God’s desire was. So he knew how to pray in line with it.

Yet, though we don’t have that instinct, we do have God’s written word. And when we learn his promises we know his desires.

Third, bringing this together, we can pray boldly for exactly what God promises in his word. Not for more and don’t cop out. Just ask boldly and expectantly for what God actually promised.

And Jesus in an understated way says, “It will be enough.”

Yikes! I think it’ll be way more than enough.

None of our problems are beyond God’s promises of power.

When have you seen this?

Please share your thoughts on Facebook, Twitter or email me. Thanks.

* Matthew 10: 24-25 (NIV)