Big Problems; a Bigger God

We spend so much of our limited prayer time telling God about our big problems. We complain about our relationships, our finances, our jobs, and the list goes on. We ask God to bless us, to provide, to meet our need and we expect an instantaneous response. And, when we don’t get an immediate response, we question the goodness of God and perhaps even the ability of God to really provide. Sometimes, we even doubt that God wants to provide for us. We start feeling sorry for ourselves and then we begin to replace God time with me time. This is a trap, I believe many Christians fall into: we pray and expect an immediate response, but when God calls us to do/be/start something, we hesitate, we delay, we rationalize and make excuses. Worse yet, we might even pretend like we didn’t hear God. We ask two or three or four times for God to give us confirmation so that we know that we know that we know that this is REALLY what we should do/be/start. If we ever start what God asks us to, we rarely see it to completion. Most times, however, we don’t even respond to what God asks of us. And then later that day or the next day, or the next Sunday when we have our religious quiet time with God, we tell God how messed up things are and we beg “in faith” (if we can even call it that) for God to answer us.

Why is it okay for us to demand immediacy from God, but to practice hesitancy with God?! Father, forgive me for doing this too many times. I pray that you would teach me to respond in faith immediately. I pray that instead of spending my prayer time telling God how big my problems are, I pray that I would tell my problems how big my God is. We live in a world full of problems and each one of us has battles we fight everyday. I am asking you to take a stand for the sake of the Kingdom. Will you begin to speak to your problems, worries, fears, temptations, illness, doubt, discouragement, etc and tell them that though you have a big problem, you have a bigger God?

The book of James 1:22 says this, “Do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourself; do what it says.” In Galatians 5:6 it says, “The only thing that matters is faith expressing itself in love.” Faith without action is not really faith. Believing in something is not faith. If you believe something you will act accordingly. For example, if you believe that drugs are bad for you, but you use drugs anyways, you obviously do not really believe that drugs are bad (example from Pastor Joel Hunter).

If we say we believe in God or have faith in God, but do not take action accordingly, it must mean that we don’t really believe that God is who He says He is and will do what He says He will do. If we believed it, we would act like it. We serve a God who makes promises — lots of people make promises, but don’t come through. BUT, the God we serve doesn’t just make promises, he FULFILLS the promises He makes. As we do our part in obedient faith, God will do His part in fulfillment.

May you be filled with courage and joy and peace and grace and forgiveness and passion today as you pursue God in active, faith-filled obedience.