Power to Accomplish the Impossible

Number 43 in the series “God Rocks: 101 Amazing Everyday Gifts!” Stories and promises of Jesus that show us the awesome blessings we can experience each day. I hope it encourages you!

I’ll tell you the day I quit attending church.

Photo Credit: Grand Canyon National Park

Our pastor was young, handsome, intelligent, successful with a beautiful family. He was one of the golden boys of our denomination. He had it made. And he was my friend.

He took a leave of absence and we were told by the staff he was working through some issues and not to contact him.

This went on for several months until one afternoon I received a phone call at my office from a friend. He told me our pastor had locked himself in his garage while his family was away and started the car.

I felt numb.

He and his wife came from families of pastors and psychologists so by the time they all spoke the funeral was two hours. These professionals extolled his many attributes and how he struggled with depression all his life.

I can sum up the main take away like this.

“God created him defective. He fought the good fight to overcome his affliction and failed.”

Then one speaker added, I think to bring a little levity to an otherwise morose service, “And his guardian angel evidently wasn’t on duty that day.” A few chuckled.

I realize everyone was grappling to make sense of this senseless tragedy.

But as I left there I said to my wife in my most theological words, “Are you freaking kidding me?”

I never went back.

Unfortunately most of the churches I’ve tried since preach as emasculated of a message as they did.

I contrast that with the story of Jesus commissioning his disciples.

“He called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness. “ (Matthew 10: 1 NIV)

Everywhere I look in scripture I see power to accomplish the impossible.

This band of misfits Jesus calls his disciples, just because they believed, were given unimaginable power.

Power to drive evil out of lives.

Power to heal every kind of disease.

Power to heal every kind of malady or problem, which is what the word means.

I don’t see much left out do you?

You might be thinking, “Yea but what about . . . ?”

You know I don’t have all those answers. Sometimes things haven’t worked like I thought they should either.

But I guess I would rather err in expecting too much from God rather than too little.

What are your thoughts?

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