I have been humbled in my life to see God do great things. Not because of me, but in spite of me. Many, but not all, of those moments of witnessing and experiencing God's power came in the midst of dark and difficult times.
Shortly after Micah's liver transplant surgery the liver was not functioning as needed. Many friends and strangers called on the name of the Lord on behalf of Micah. Many carried him in prayer, ripping off the roof, and lowering him to the feet of Jesus. I remember praying, "Lord, reach down with Your mighty hand and massage his liver that it would work." In less than 12 hours the lab results showed a liver working as it should. And the doctor was unable to explain it.
I have also experienced the bigness of God in placing our fourth son, Malachi, into our family. We spent two years working on adoption paperwork. We finished it in May of 2013 and found out we were expecting again in June 2013. In August of 2013, we received a phone call about a mom who courageously wanted to place her baby in our family and on Friday he was born. Two days later we traveled home with him. The social worker actually said to us, "Every time I would go to meet with a potential birth mom who was seeking to make a placement plan for her child, I would take your profile book along. I would think to myself, 'Why do I keep taking their book? They already have three boys and a fourth on the way. No mom is going to choose their family.'"
God is bigger!
Reading today in the story of Israel taking the land of Canaan that God has promised, I see a big God. When Joshua and his army fought with the men five kings of the Amorites and their armies, the enemy armies began to flee. Was the enemy really going to get away? Not with a big God who always keeps His promises.
The Bible says that the Lord hurled large hailstones down on them. What was the result? God killed more with hailstones than Israel did with the sword. Surprised? We shouldn't be but we often are.
As if this wasn't enough, while Israel fought its enemies in the land that very day, God caused the sun to stand still in the sky. So the sun stopped int he middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. The Bible says that all of this reveals a powerful truth: Surely the Lord was fighting for Israel!
God has and does fight for us. At the cross, He fought out bitterest and worst enemy. Sin and death held humanity in fear and slavery. But God fought for us and won that battle that in Him we would have our sin forgiven and death wouldn't be the gate to destruction but the door to eternal life.
I've been privileged to see and experience God's power. But I'm just not content. While God's greatest act and mightiest battle in the cross cannot and never will or need to be repeated, He's still at work. The God who hurled hailstones, stopped the sun, and beat our enemy is still just as big and working in big ways.
I want to see God move and I want to witness His power.
I need God to move and I need to witness His power.
Where do you need God to aid you against your enemy, extend your time and work, or enable you to have victory one the desires of your flesh and the sin of your heart? Where do you need God to show up big today?
Take a Daniel moment:
Shortly after Micah's liver transplant surgery the liver was not functioning as needed. Many friends and strangers called on the name of the Lord on behalf of Micah. Many carried him in prayer, ripping off the roof, and lowering him to the feet of Jesus. I remember praying, "Lord, reach down with Your mighty hand and massage his liver that it would work." In less than 12 hours the lab results showed a liver working as it should. And the doctor was unable to explain it.
I have also experienced the bigness of God in placing our fourth son, Malachi, into our family. We spent two years working on adoption paperwork. We finished it in May of 2013 and found out we were expecting again in June 2013. In August of 2013, we received a phone call about a mom who courageously wanted to place her baby in our family and on Friday he was born. Two days later we traveled home with him. The social worker actually said to us, "Every time I would go to meet with a potential birth mom who was seeking to make a placement plan for her child, I would take your profile book along. I would think to myself, 'Why do I keep taking their book? They already have three boys and a fourth on the way. No mom is going to choose their family.'"
God is bigger!
Reading today in the story of Israel taking the land of Canaan that God has promised, I see a big God. When Joshua and his army fought with the men five kings of the Amorites and their armies, the enemy armies began to flee. Was the enemy really going to get away? Not with a big God who always keeps His promises.
The Bible says that the Lord hurled large hailstones down on them. What was the result? God killed more with hailstones than Israel did with the sword. Surprised? We shouldn't be but we often are.
As if this wasn't enough, while Israel fought its enemies in the land that very day, God caused the sun to stand still in the sky. So the sun stopped int he middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. The Bible says that all of this reveals a powerful truth: Surely the Lord was fighting for Israel!
God has and does fight for us. At the cross, He fought out bitterest and worst enemy. Sin and death held humanity in fear and slavery. But God fought for us and won that battle that in Him we would have our sin forgiven and death wouldn't be the gate to destruction but the door to eternal life.
I've been privileged to see and experience God's power. But I'm just not content. While God's greatest act and mightiest battle in the cross cannot and never will or need to be repeated, He's still at work. The God who hurled hailstones, stopped the sun, and beat our enemy is still just as big and working in big ways.
I want to see God move and I want to witness His power.
I need God to move and I need to witness His power.
Where do you need God to aid you against your enemy, extend your time and work, or enable you to have victory one the desires of your flesh and the sin of your heart? Where do you need God to show up big today?
Take a Daniel moment:
- Praise God that He alone is God and there is none like Him.
- Celebrate the great character and mighty deeds of God.
- Ask God to be big in the places you are weak, uncertain, pain-filled, sinful, or needy.
- Watch God be big and don't forget to give thanks for what He will do (before He does it) and for what He did (after He does it).
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