Now to Him who is able to do far more
abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works
within us…Ephesians 3:20
Our
Problems are God’s Opportunities
As I
mentioned earlier in the week; the children of Israel were facing a big
problem. The river was over 1 mile wide and there were 2 million people who had
to cross, and yet the Lord wanted them to go over. They couldn't build a
bridge; there wasn't enough time or materials. They couldn't transport everyone
over in boats; there were no boats and they would have been sitting ducks for
their enemies. There was only one way around their problem and that was through
it!
Expect
a Miracle
Have you
ever sized up your problem and thought about how big it was? Maybe you looked
at it and concluded, "There is no
way around, through, over or past this problem." I suppose we have all
been like the 10 spies that returned from spying out the land of Canaan with
Caleb and Joshua. We have sized up our problem and think that it is more than
we can ever face, Numbers 13:31-33. Our
problem was the same one we often have when we face a difficult situation: we
forget about God! Where we see only problems, God sees only solutions. Where we
look at things and say, "There's no way!" God looks at the problem
and says, "Follow me, I have a plan!"
Obedience
Activates God’s Provision
The plan was
this, God said, "When the feet of the priests enter
Jordan, I am going to part the waters and lead you through on the dry
ground!" There was a
catch in this plan and it was that the waters would not part until the priests
who were carrying the Ark stepped into the water. In other words, it took a
step of faith, whereby the people obediently followed the Lord for them to see
the miracle come to pass.
What a
lesson for you and me. Too often, we want the Lord just to fix everything in
our lives for us. We don't want to have to make any decisions nor do we want to
have to exercise our faith in Him. We just want Him to do it and that will be
the end of it. However, most of the time, God will require us to take steps of
faith in order that we might see our Jordan parted. God had a plan, but for
this plan to work, it required faith on the part of His people!
The same is
true for you and me! As long as we are trying to solve our own problems we are
not walking in faith. It is when we turn loose of the reigns of the problem,
step away from it and let the Lord have it that we will see it taken care of
for His glory. It never is about what we can do, it is always about what the
Lord is able to do. When the priests stepped into that raging river, it parted
and God opened a path of dry ground through the waters for His people. Their
obedience activated God’s provision.
We need to remember that faith honors
God and God honors faith! When He does it, it won't just be patched up and ready to fall apart
again, it will be done right and it will be done forever. This God who did this
great thing for Israel is still the same God we are serving! What He did then,
He can do now. He was ABLE all the way through the Bible, and He is still ABLE
today! Regardless of the circumstances, He is still God and He still can!
Just look
back over your own life. How many times has the Lord opened your Jordan
already? He is all we need! He is still the same miracle working God that He
always had been. Learn to expect miracles when you are dealing with God!
Scripture
to Claim
You are the God who works
wonders; You have made known Your strength among the peoples… Psalms 77:14
