Matthew 19:26: “Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (NIV)
On Sunday, I shared my personal favorite verse. Today, I am sharing my family’s special verse. If you spend any amount of time in my house, you will soon see this verse hanging on our walls, dangling from my husband’s keychain, wrapped around the coffee mugs we drink from, as well as hanging every year from our Christmas tree…I think you get the idea. I absolutely love this verse and all that it means.
In the past, I have talked about how the God I serve is a very personal God. He loves us all, individually and completely. What is best for me is not necessarily best for you and vice versa. I also know that He is a God who can, and wants, to do mighty things in the lives of those who love Him, including giving us many blessings to enjoy. (He wants to do this for everyone, but again, He is a gentleman and will not push His way into your life. He continues to wait patiently.)
In Hebrews 11:6, it says, “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.” (NIV)
Faith is an important element to receiving the blessings that God wants to give us. He wants a relationship with us. He desires closeness, love, obedience and most of all, faith that we believe what He has promised is true. The promises that He has given are written in the Bible for all to read and, in faith, receive. Some of these promises include health, riches, joy, love, peace…the list is long.
Combining this verse with Psalms 37:4-5, which talks about the desires of our hearts, God is pleased when we come to Him in faith, trusting that His choices for our lives are better than any choices we could ever make on our own. When we approach God asking for His will to be done in our life instead of giving Him a checklist of things we want, I honestly believe that God rewards that attitude and truly desires to bless us far more than we could even think to ask for.
So…having come to that conclusion, when I pray, instead of just praying and asking God for A, B, C, and D, I have learned instead to share with God the pressing needs that are on my heart. I have learned not to put God in a box or give him parameters from which to answer my requests. Instead, I gladly ask God for His will in my life, letting go of any preconceived ideas of how I want my circumstance or my struggles resolved. With faith, I ask Him to show off for me please, to “wow” me, and to let me know in a big way that He is in control, always being thankful to accept what He wants to offer. I find that most of the time He answers me with a bigger blessing than I could have ever imagined or thought to ask for in the first place. For me, the biggest prize is not how big the blessing is, but instead how personal He makes the reward to fit my particular situation. That is truly an answer worth waiting for!