How big is your God? Can He fit in a box? Does He meet your expectations? Is He bigger than your imagination?
I thought I believed the Lord was bigger than any of my problems, bigger than any of my sins - in essence, bigger than me.
I used to encourage other believers with the truth that He is bigger than any of our expectations, bigger than any of our needs. What I didn't realize was that I didn't believe this myself. Now that's a tough cookie to eat - how can someone encourage others in Truth and not believe it herself? I know, I know, this sounds...well, it sounds fake and hypocritical. And yes, it is fake and hypocritical. The problem is I didn't know that I really didn't believe this - which is the scary part.
In the first ten chapters of the Gospel of Mark we find three instances where sickened men approached or were brought to Jesus that He might heal them. What is interesting is that each request was different, each answer was different, yet the outcome was the same. The ill men or the individuals bringing the men to Jesus requested that He heal the men, however, two of these men not only requested healing but also added the manner in which the healing should be done. Can man tell God how to act?
The first man to need healing was brought to Jesus in Mark 7:32-35. This man was deaf and could hardly speak, and those bringing him to Jesus were doing it so that He might 'place His hand on him'. They believed that Jesus could heal, they had faith in Him - but they were dictating how the healing should take place. The Lord strengthens their faith by healing the man NOT in the manner in which it was requested, but in an unconventional way: he separates the man from the crowd, puts His fingers into his ears, spits on the man's tongue and says 'be opened'. Quite hard to put Jesus in a box...
The second man seeking healing was a blind man we meet in Mark 8:22-25; he, too, is brought by other individuals and beg 'Jesus to touch him'. Perhaps the trick to healing is not for Jesus to place the hands on the person, but to touch him. Again, Jesus strengthens their faith by healing the blind man NOT in the manner in which they requested, but in a gentle and 'inconsistent' way: He takes the man's hand and leads him out of the village, spits in his eyes and puts His hands on him. Jesus doesn't seem to fit the mold or conform to the people's expectations...
The third man, a blind man by the name of Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46-52), heard that Jesus was passing by and cried out with a loud voice for the Son of David to have mercy upon him. When Jesus asks him what does he want Him to do for him, he responds 'that [he] may receive [his] sight'. Bartimaeus does not tell the Lord HOW he wants the WHAT, he just tells him the WHAT, which is to see. Jesus heals him in a radical way; He affirms Bartimaeus' faith by telling him to 'Go [his] way; [for his] faith ha[d] made [him] well'. He doesn't touch Bartimaeus, spit in his eyes, place His hands on him, or commands that the eyes be opened. Jesus was bigger than Bartimaeus' knowledge, expectations, and imagination...
After seeing these examples, the Lord showed me that many a time my prayers to Him where not only WHATs but also HOWs; I was like the first two men who were seeking healing but were telling Him how to go about it. I was limiting the Lord to my expectations and requesting Him to work within the box of my imagination and knowledge. That is why I say I didn't believe Him to be bigger than my problems or bigger than myself, because I was limiting His omnipotence to my knowledge and expectations.
I think it is not wise to expect the Lord to always operate in the same manner, because in so doing, we miss Him when He is working in manners not known or not common to us.
Is your Jesus bigger than a box? Is He bigger than your expectations? Is He bigger than your knowledge?
I thought I believed the Lord was bigger than any of my problems, bigger than any of my sins - in essence, bigger than me.
I used to encourage other believers with the truth that He is bigger than any of our expectations, bigger than any of our needs. What I didn't realize was that I didn't believe this myself. Now that's a tough cookie to eat - how can someone encourage others in Truth and not believe it herself? I know, I know, this sounds...well, it sounds fake and hypocritical. And yes, it is fake and hypocritical. The problem is I didn't know that I really didn't believe this - which is the scary part.
In the first ten chapters of the Gospel of Mark we find three instances where sickened men approached or were brought to Jesus that He might heal them. What is interesting is that each request was different, each answer was different, yet the outcome was the same. The ill men or the individuals bringing the men to Jesus requested that He heal the men, however, two of these men not only requested healing but also added the manner in which the healing should be done. Can man tell God how to act?
The first man to need healing was brought to Jesus in Mark 7:32-35. This man was deaf and could hardly speak, and those bringing him to Jesus were doing it so that He might 'place His hand on him'. They believed that Jesus could heal, they had faith in Him - but they were dictating how the healing should take place. The Lord strengthens their faith by healing the man NOT in the manner in which it was requested, but in an unconventional way: he separates the man from the crowd, puts His fingers into his ears, spits on the man's tongue and says 'be opened'. Quite hard to put Jesus in a box...
The second man seeking healing was a blind man we meet in Mark 8:22-25; he, too, is brought by other individuals and beg 'Jesus to touch him'. Perhaps the trick to healing is not for Jesus to place the hands on the person, but to touch him. Again, Jesus strengthens their faith by healing the blind man NOT in the manner in which they requested, but in a gentle and 'inconsistent' way: He takes the man's hand and leads him out of the village, spits in his eyes and puts His hands on him. Jesus doesn't seem to fit the mold or conform to the people's expectations...
The third man, a blind man by the name of Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46-52), heard that Jesus was passing by and cried out with a loud voice for the Son of David to have mercy upon him. When Jesus asks him what does he want Him to do for him, he responds 'that [he] may receive [his] sight'. Bartimaeus does not tell the Lord HOW he wants the WHAT, he just tells him the WHAT, which is to see. Jesus heals him in a radical way; He affirms Bartimaeus' faith by telling him to 'Go [his] way; [for his] faith ha[d] made [him] well'. He doesn't touch Bartimaeus, spit in his eyes, place His hands on him, or commands that the eyes be opened. Jesus was bigger than Bartimaeus' knowledge, expectations, and imagination...
After seeing these examples, the Lord showed me that many a time my prayers to Him where not only WHATs but also HOWs; I was like the first two men who were seeking healing but were telling Him how to go about it. I was limiting the Lord to my expectations and requesting Him to work within the box of my imagination and knowledge. That is why I say I didn't believe Him to be bigger than my problems or bigger than myself, because I was limiting His omnipotence to my knowledge and expectations.
I think it is not wise to expect the Lord to always operate in the same manner, because in so doing, we miss Him when He is working in manners not known or not common to us.
Is your Jesus bigger than a box? Is He bigger than your expectations? Is He bigger than your knowledge?
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