A Prayer to Boldly Ask God for What Seems Impossible - Your Daily Prayer - May 1
A Prayer to Boldly Ask God for What Seems Impossible
By: Rachel Britton
Bible Reading:
“Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known” (Jeremiah 33:3 ESV).
Listen or Read Below:
As a child, I used my imagination to tell ghost stories. I’d hide behind the sofa with my cousin, of the same age as me, and make up vivid tales about ghoulish creatures. My aunt was not too pleased. Not only did I terrify my cousin, but I also scared myself so much that I was too frightened to go to bed.
Most of us are inclined to use our imaginations to create far-from-real stories. We often mull over the worst-case scenarios, visualizing accidents and catastrophes. We play out dialogues in our heads that end badly. We often think a simple ailment is a life-threatening disease.
Jeremiah 33:3 tells us to think on “great and hidden things that you have not known.” Other translations use the words “mysterious,” “mighty,” “remarkable secrets,” or, as the VOICE describes it, “things beyond what you can imagine.”
We are to use our minds and imaginations to picture much better outcomes. We are to visualize not only good things God can do, but as Ephesians 3:20 says, “immeasurably more.”
God doesn’t just expect us to believe in the amazing things He does when life is going well. He particularly wants us to think of good and beautiful blessings He can bring when we face the most difficult circumstances.
God told the people of Judah and Israel, through the prophet Jeremiah, that He would turn their lives around in real, not superficial, ways, so they could be normal again.
Amid the horrors of living under siege by the Babylonians, the people could still find hope. Their houses had been destroyed, neighbors slaughtered, and others taken into exile. A heavy silence settled over the city of Jerusalem.
The scene is not so different from war zones today. We have all seen images on television or in news reports, or perhaps even experienced such devastation ourselves, where buildings are reduced to rubble, and streets lie empty and impassable.
With these situations, it’s hard to envisage neighborhoods teeming with life again. Or people returning to happy, contented lives and living in peace. Likewise, the residents of Jerusalem most likely could not imagine anything good coming out of the destruction—that their city would be rebuilt, and they would experience joy and gladness.
Yet even if they pictured life returning to normal, God said he would do more. All the people of Israel had to do was call on Him, and He would answer.
This is the message God shared with the people in Jerusalem. It is a message for us, too.
We are to think of the great wonders God can do for us. Not only that, but we are to ask him to do beyond what we can dream.
It is important for us to trust God’s words. We must believe God can and will do much more than we ask. Most times, we approach God asking him to answer in accordance with what we think is possible, not what seems impossible.
Perhaps you find yourself praying small requests, because then God is more likely to answer. Jeremiah 33:3 encourages us not to limit God’s power to the extent of what we understand. God’s power far exceeds what we know. God’s grace, love, and compassion extend far beyond what we believe. As Jeremiah 32:17 says, “nothing is too hard” for God.
Let’s imagine all the wonderful and amazing possibilities God has in store for us. Then, let’s practice being bold in our asking.
Let’s Pray:
Lord God, you are able to do immeasurably more than I can ask or imagine. Yet I confess that so often I let my mind drift toward fear, doubt, and worst-case scenarios. Forgive me for using my imagination in this way. Forgive me for limiting you to what seems possible in my own understanding.
Renew my mind to think on the good and beautiful things you can do, even in the hardest circumstances. Renew my faith, so I ask with boldness and trust in your limitless and abundant power and goodness.
Where I see rubble and ruins in my life, help me believe you can rebuild something amazing. Where I see sadness and loss, remind me that you can restore my joy. Stretch my prayers beyond what feels safe and small, and help me trust that nothing is too hard for you. I place my hopes, my needs, and my future in your hands.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
A Prayer to Boldly Ask God for What Seems Impossible
By: Rachel Britton
Bible Reading:
“Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known” (Jeremiah 33:3 ESV).
Listen or Read Below:
As a child, I used my imagination to tell ghost stories. I’d hide behind the sofa with my cousin, of the same age as me, and make up vivid tales about ghoulish creatures. My aunt was not too pleased. Not only did I terrify my cousin, but I also scared myself so much that I was too frightened to go to bed.
Most of us are inclined to use our imaginations to create far-from-real stories. We often mull over the worst-case scenarios, visualizing accidents and catastrophes. We play out dialogues in our heads that end badly. We often think a simple ailment is a life-threatening disease.
Jeremiah 33:3 tells us to think on “great and hidden things that you have not known.” Other translations use the words “mysterious,” “mighty,” “remarkable secrets,” or, as the VOICE describes it, “things beyond what you can imagine.”
We are to use our minds and imaginations to picture much better outcomes. We are to visualize not only good things God can do, but as Ephesians 3:20 says, “immeasurably more.”
God doesn’t just expect us to believe in the amazing things He does when life is going well. He particularly wants us to think of good and beautiful blessings He can bring when we face the most difficult circumstances.
God told the people of Judah and Israel, through the prophet Jeremiah, that He would turn their lives around in real, not superficial, ways, so they could be normal again.
Amid the horrors of living under siege by the Babylonians, the people could still find hope. Their houses had been destroyed, neighbors slaughtered, and others taken into exile. A heavy silence settled over the city of Jerusalem.
The scene is not so different from war zones today. We have all seen images on television or in news reports, or perhaps even experienced such devastation ourselves, where buildings are reduced to rubble, and streets lie empty and impassable.
With these situations, it’s hard to envisage neighborhoods teeming with life again. Or people returning to happy, contented lives and living in peace. Likewise, the residents of Jerusalem most likely could not imagine anything good coming out of the destruction—that their city would be rebuilt, and they would experience joy and gladness.
Yet even if they pictured life returning to normal, God said he would do more. All the people of Israel had to do was call on Him, and He would answer.
This is the message God shared with the people in Jerusalem. It is a message for us, too.
We are to think of the great wonders God can do for us. Not only that, but we are to ask him to do beyond what we can dream.
It is important for us to trust God’s words. We must believe God can and will do much more than we ask. Most times, we approach God asking him to answer in accordance with what we think is possible, not what seems impossible.
Perhaps you find yourself praying small requests, because then God is more likely to answer. Jeremiah 33:3 encourages us not to limit God’s power to the extent of what we understand. God’s power far exceeds what we know. God’s grace, love, and compassion extend far beyond what we believe. As Jeremiah 32:17 says, “nothing is too hard” for God.
Let’s imagine all the wonderful and amazing possibilities God has in store for us. Then, let’s practice being bold in our asking.
Let’s Pray:
Lord God, you are able to do immeasurably more than I can ask or imagine. Yet I confess that so often I let my mind drift toward fear, doubt, and worst-case scenarios. Forgive me for using my imagination in this way. Forgive me for limiting you to what seems possible in my own understanding.
Renew my mind to think on the good and beautiful things you can do, even in the hardest circumstances. Renew my faith, so I ask with boldness and trust in your limitless and abundant power and goodness.
Where I see rubble and ruins in my life, help me believe you can rebuild something amazing. Where I see sadness and loss, remind me that you can restore my joy. Stretch my prayers beyond what feels safe and small, and help me trust that nothing is too hard for you. I place my hopes, my needs, and my future in your hands.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Share your reflections on today’s devotional in the Your Daily Prayer discussion on the Crosswalk Forum.
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/mapo
Related Resource: Even Christians Struggle with Addiction and Forgiveness
This week on The Jesus Calling Podcast, we welcome writer Jonathon M. Seidl, who transparently shares his struggle with alcoholism. Jonathon opens up about how he turned to alcohol as a solution to his problems, the breaking point moment when he realized something needed to change, and the real, raw, honest circumstances that led him to healing.
