"God of Moses, who turned the mighty Nile into a river of blood, sent hordes of frogs, swarms of lice and flies, a plague of disease and boils, devastating hail, locusts that covered the sky, and the death of Egypt's firstborn in order to answer the prayers of his people for freedom. . .
"God of the disciples, who on Pentecost received Your power, spoke in other languages so 3,000 were baptized on one day, and then turned the world upside down for Christ . . .
"Father of Jesus, who made the blind see, the lame walk, lepers whole and the dead to rise, and gave His life to rescue those who were hopelessly dead in sin and made them alive to righteousness and eternal life . . .
"God of creation, God of history, God of the Bible, God Almighty . . . could You possibly be of some help with this young man's girlfriend? Amen."
When I heard this story, I couldn't help but smile. How like that young student I can be. Stopping for a moment to reflect on God's sovereign power ? and His promise to use it always for my good if I'll put my trust in Him ? puts my daily concerns into a whole new perspective.
In truth, my problems are so small, so transitory. And God is so big, bigger than I can possibly imagine. Surely, I trust Him for too little. Perhaps you do, too. If the youth minister had been praying for your concerns, how would he have closed his prayer?
• ". . . could You possibly show this couple how to get out of debt and save for the future as Your word commends?
• ". . . could You possibly lead this man to a job that would be a better fit for the way You've made him and for the financial and family needs that he has?"
• ". . . could You possibly help this widow to make wise investing decisions as she seeks to be a good steward of Your wealth?"
• ". . . could You possibly show this family how they can give even more to take the saving message of Christ to those who have never heard?"
Could He possibly? We know the answer is, "Of course!" He is the One about whom Jesus said "with God all things are possible" (Matthew 19:26). Our part is to trust Him. We have it on the highest authority that "Everything is possible for him who believes" (Mark 9:23). And again, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed . . . Nothing will be impossible for you" (Matthew 17:20). There is one exception, however, one thing that God has declared is impossible for us: "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him" (Hebrews 11:6).
So let us seek Him, trusting Him to deliver us through the difficulties of life, remembering that we pray to a God who is too strong to ever lose control of any situation, too wise to ever make a mistake, and too loving to ever abandon us. Just the kind of God we need.
God Knows What We Need Most
As I indicated at the beginning of this article, it's a tricky matter to accurately discern which experiences in life will ultimately work for our good. The reason for this is not that bad things are necessarily good things in disguise, but rather our God is so great that He can take the bad things and transform them into good things. He does this because He purposes to use everything in life that we might "be conformed to the likeness of his Son."
Knowing that what appears good (wealth and success) can actually be bad for us, and that what appears bad ("trials of many kinds") can actually be good for us, gives one a certain humility in praying. This truth is beautifully expressed in the Prayer of an Unknown Confederate Soldier (source unknown):
